Health Issues

[kHT]

Sorry I have been away but have been dealing with some serious issues. For the past year I have noted that when I take
photos and yes I take a lot of them some are not clear as they should be. I also noted I wasn't seeing as clear as I should
be but the insurance only pays for eye visits every two years. Long story short, in Jan I as told I am going blind. What a
shocker!! Age Masular Degeneration is the case, which comes in two kinds, Atrophic ( dry / 80% to 90%) and Neovascular ( wet / 10%).
Mine was full blown wet at this point with yellow drusens noted on the photo taken. Glacoma is known in the family history with my granddad on
my dad's side. No cateracts in the history but 2012 noted of them started, not a big deal as they were small. Just a slight
change in the glasses then. This visit was an eye opener!! Headed for a specialist appointment in March for a
second opinion after reading several books and they will advise me to the next set. All the books state it's time to get a
good team of doctors to stop this before one looses their sight. Millions of folks will hear these words as it's a number one
cause of blindness with the aging population. So get your 'Amsler Grids' out on your refridg. so you can check your eye sight
daily. Wear those sunglasses in the garden with a hat and take care our yourself!! It will also require a change in diet and
don't smoke. If you are a diabetic please talk to your doctor about eye care, too!! As I digest more of what I am reading
I'll add more information if anyone cares to learn.

After reading the technical books today I thought I would add the correction and proper terms.

[Ginger]

well crap! I am glad you are being proactive about this. It is nothing to mess with, but it can be managed. Good luck, and keep us informed!

Ginger

[kHT]

Thank you Ginger! I told the group at another garden site due to I tend to disappear when I deal with health issues.
Yes, I have white coat syndrom and we can all laugh about that one! I have LucyGoose to thank as I have
quized her on diet change and didn't tell her what was up. I just needed an idea on what direction to go, she has been
a blessing!

[Carol O]

I think of you often, Happy Toes.
Carol

[pauhaus]

Sorry to hear this KHT. Hang in there and I wish you all the best. Keep us updated.

[Diana]

Thank you for this post KHT. VERY sorry you find yourself in this situation. Good that you are meeting it head on. I have heard of macular degeneration, but didn't know there were two kinds. So I Googled it to get the details. That is scary! But medical specialists these days really do know their stuff and hopefully they will be able to halt the advance in your eyes. Sorry you have to wait until March. Your post is a heads up for all of us to get an eye exam every year, insurance or not. Damn age related stuff. Please keep posting to tell us how the docs and you decide to treat this and how it works. Knowledge is power.
-Diana

[Chris_W]

Good luck Karma, I hope they can slow it down and help you out the best possible. I just switched insurance this year partly because the new plan covers vision. Haven't had that in years but I'm "seeing" issues with my right eye and will get it checked out for sure now. Thanks for sharing about this.

Chris

[kHT]

Thank you all for your replies and I hope this post will be used to educate as it's needed as we all age and this starts to
pop up. It's not just for the older generation but it can pop up earlier in life too. We recently watch a DVD from the library
that had a guy get this in his 30s and by 50s he was legally blind as they say it. You don't loose total sight with this but the
main centeral vision and some color sharpness. There is a small percentage that will go totally blind due to other factors.
It is also not only age that can cause this but also some links to injury, infections or inflammation. Another is smoking, so if
you smoke......stop!! I have noticed a change in my sight and will point to the burn pit our new neighbors to the north use
on a daily bases, as they burn all the time and the smoke fills the neighborhood!! There are nights you can't be outside
with the smoke they create and yes they burn in the summer time when it's hot!! We hope that the last visit from the
fire marshal will help but I'm not holding my breath. All my optmetrist kept saying is stop smoking.....I haven't smoked
in some 40 years!! Another item to add to this is diabetes and letting your doctor know as soon as you have been told.
Beings that I have other handicapes this was also important that all my doctors know due to the meds that I do take.
So let's back up here and talk about optmetrists verses ophthalmologist, they are not the same!! Most folks think they are and
if you have an eye disorder family history you will know that an ophthalmologist is the correct place to be. It is also important
that you gather a good team of doctors to treat this disease. So my March appt. will be with an ophthalmologist/lazer specialist
whom will direct me to an retina specilist, which will direct me as to the treatment. I saw an ophthalmologist for some 15 years
until she retired and an optmetrists took over her practice, I like the place but knew better. So the March ophthalmologist is the
one my DH goes to and feels I should of been going to, he found him a year ago and comes highly recommended from his co workers.
He was going to a specialized one stop clinic. Will update on this next visit.

One of the items is a change in diet.....fish, chicken and pork.....less red meat. Then there is the eating of rich deep colored
veggies and fruit....stuff with a high in specific antioxidants (A, C, E and beta-carotente with zinc). I have also gone to drinking
green tea daily. One of the dietary supplements I learned about is bilberry with lutein. A preventive 1 softgels a day is recommended
but if you have AMD they say 3 to 4 softgels should be taken for eye care. I found them at Wally World and fairly cheap to help with
the problem. Another recommendation is fish oil but it really depends on your doctor as to what you take. My optmetrist just said to
change my diet and stop smoking, yep no direction to vits. which has been a big help in keeping the sight. So I have several books
to digest here. My favorite quote is, "You are what you eat!" So start eating healthy now!! I do keep the 5 oz red meat weekly as
I love hamburger night!!

While reading the technical stuff today I found seven super Prescriptions that are Mascular Degeneration"

Lutein - 15 mg daily to prevent the oxidative ( drusens) damage, yellowing spots as my eye doctor called it Yellowing rust.
Zeaxanthin - 3 mg also to prevent oxidative damage
Betaine hydrochloride - 1 to 3 capsules to help increase stomach acid to improve absorption of nutrients, especially minerals.
Zinc - 45 mg daily along with 2 mg of copper / Zinc is an antioxidants required for proper vision
Ginkgo biloba - 120 mg twice daily of a product standardixed to 24 % flavone glycosides. Ginkgo improves circulation and has potent antioxidents.
Bilberry - 240 - 600 mg
High-potency multivitamins

Two types of treatments on this lazer and Anti VEGF therapy; Lucentis, Macugen and Avastin which helps with the growing of vessels.
Avastin is a cancer drug and very little study has been on this, it's the cheapest in treatment and there is a study in this area now on the
use of this drug with glacoma but I don't qualify. Lucentis is an expensive route but the most promising, where it has improved some folks
sight.

Hopes this helps some in getting out what I'm learning. More to come as I read. I can tell you there is two types of Wet AMD and if you
get dry AMD in one eye you will have a good chance in getting it in the other eye. Wet AMD is the worst of the two.

So prevention is the best medicine and knowing the family history. Get those 'Amsler Grids' out where you can check them daily. If you have
a change in eye sight, do have it check out as soon as you can. Make sure your doctor when he bills the insurance company they inform
them of the eye disease and the need for more visits. Saving your eyes are important!! Like saving your teeth! Your health is important.

[LucyGoose]

Wow Karma!! My mom is and has been treating the wet Masular Degeneration. so yes, it is manageable....and I did not know you smoked... ....10 years in march, I am smoke free....I will be calling soon....take care!

[kHT]

Thanks LucyGoose for your help!! Yep got to cut down on all the smoking! Save those free radicals!
I was also reading about the heavy metals that also damage the eyes. It is really interesting how the whole body works
and how we should listen to what it's telling us. I just want to see!!

[jgh]

wow, karma... I've been away and missed this post. Just want to add my support - and hope you will come back with more news after your March second opinion hugs!!!

[kHT]

Thanks Jim! My specialist appointment went well and with new lens, he got me up to 20/20 vision. That is 8 levels from what my
glasses were two years ago. Good news but my eyes are aging much faster than they should. I have written to my County Councilors
about the second hand smoke from the firepit to the north of us. I'm not holding my breath.

[Chris_W]

Glad to hear that they are still able to correct your vision. I imagine it is nice to be able to see clearly again for now even. Hugs!

[kHT]

Thanks Chris, seeing and breathing is a good thing when you get past 60!! Just take care of one's eye....
they are extremely important. Especially in the garden where some of us need them to hybridize due to a
lack of bees.

[jgh]

great news about your eyes! Thanks for coming back with the news!

I've got some retina damage from broken blood vessels - makes me see double at distance and gives me a fuzzy spot straight down the middle - but I can still drive and do all my normal daily stuff - just can't read for over 20 minutes or so, which is hard on a guy planning to re-read the nineteenth century Russian classics by Tolstoy and Dostoevsky! And my bird-spotting has had to evolve... I point the binoculars right at them, then shift a touch because they disappear if I put them right in the middle of the field of vision.

I listen to a lot of books and I've made adjustments - as you said... seeing and still breathing goes a long way at this stage of my life!

[kHT]

Oh Jim, sounds like your eyes are aging too. Have you seen a lazer specialist or a retina specialist? Do you have dry or wet AMD?
I tell you lots of changes in our lives as we age, we will learn how to adapt. I tell all my younger friends to take care of their eyes
and stay away from second hand smoke!!

Hope to get the new lens soon in one pair of glasses. The main ones I am to wear all the time!!

[kHT]

Now I get to see double??