This week is macular week. Nearly 1.5 million people in the UK alone are affected by macular disease, I am one of them.
Stargardts disease, the condition I have is genetic. I have a fault in my genes that prevents me from being able to process vitamin A and it is this that causes the damage to my macular. Although my type of macular disease is rare, 1 in 10 people reading this, will be diagnosed with macular degeneration by the time they are 65. Macular disease and Age-related macular degeneration cause a complete loss of central vision over time and this loss of central vision can make life very difficult. Our central vision is our fine detail vision, our reading and writing vision, our vision to recognise loved ones and children, to drive, cook and watch tv. These are just some of the things that our central vision is needed for.
Imagine not being able to see anything directly in front of you. You can’t look around the blind spot that macular degeneration causes, or to the side; above or below it because it moves with your eyes. Living with a progressive eye condition can be very stressful and not knowing how quick your vision loss will progress can cause a lot of anxiety. People don’t really think about the impact of vision loss if it isn’t something that affects them and also because it’s not life threatening, eye charities sometimes get forgotten. Please consider eye charities in the future, as I can’t put into words the impact losing your eyesight can have on someone. I also urge everyone to protect their eyes to the absolute maximum. Wear your sunglasses outside, get regular check-ups at the opticians and be mindful of how you treat your eyes. Every day I wish that there was something to stop my progression, I want to see my boys grow up forever, I don’t want others to be in my situation if they don’t have to be ♥️.
