This is something that I get asked a lot. “Can glasses help with your eyesight?” The short answer to this is no. My eye condition (stargardts) is a genetic disease that causes a build up of something called lipofuscin on my macular. This is simply because, unlike the rest of the population, vitamin A which is good for the eyes, is actually toxic to mine. It is this that causes the damage to my retina (see picture below). Glasses help…
I have an invisible disability called stargardts. This doesn’t mean I see the same way that other people with stargardts see or the same way I used to see. Stargardts is a progressive disease that affects the central vision and everyone with it is at different stages of their vision loss journey. I don’t need a cane or a guide dog, but it doesn’t mean I don’t need visual aids or support or that I don’t struggle with things that…
I can’t believe this one is going to be 1 this weekend. I know everyone says the same thing, but I honestly don’t know where that year has gone. Sawyer is the sweetest, happiest baby and has bought me so much joy in the midst of my despair over my Stargardts diagnosis. I got told by another mum this past week, that she saw absolutely no logic in me having another child knowing that I have a genetic, progressive eye…
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…
COVID-19, I think everyone knows what it is by now and is feeling the effects of this highly contagious virus. People have lost holidays from the travel bans and others are worrying about loss of earnings and having to self-isolate. Our freedom of movement is being compromised and many aren’t dealing with the restrictions very easily. Hopefully all of this will be over in a few months, but imagine if this was actually your life day in day out, forever.…
“It’s not always the tears that measure the pain. Sometimes it’s the smile we fake”. Most people will have heard by now of the tragic death of Caroline Flack ♥️ the woman who seemed to have the perfect life and the brightest smile. We seem to assume that if someone appears happy on the surface and especially on social media, then all must be ok. It’s so very easy to hide behind a smile, a smile is easy to fake.…
February is low vision awareness month. I thought this was a good opportunity to talk about my eye condition, Stargardts disease, that is taking away my precious eyesight. Stargardts disease is an incurable, progressive, genetic juvenile eye condition, so I have this through no fault of my own. I had regular eye tests my whole life, but nothing was ever picked up until I was 31, even though I never had 20/20 vision. Stargardts disease is caused by a fault in…