My Journey To Date with Wet Macular Degeneration

by Nance Nicholls
(Davenport, WA USA )

It has been a year and a half since I woke up one morning - looked in the mirror that morning and realized I could see nothing at all but black in my left eye.

The vision had been getting cloudier and I had an appointment the following week with the eye clinic. For years I had been having an annual exam and knew that I did have dry macular degeneration starting.

No one told me it could change overnight to the wet version. Needless to say I freaked out and immediately called the eye clinic and they said come in - NOW.

I was referred to a retina doctor instead of the O.D. I had planned on seeing. I was afraid that was the total end of my sight in that eye.

My doctor told me not necessarily. He explained the Lucentis injections to me and I received my first one that day.

First month - no change noticed. Second shot - I had hope. I could see a tiny bit of light. Well, as the shots progressed by the end of the year I think I was his star pupil. I have regained so much vision it is like a miracle. No - it isn't perfect vision but I even have regained some of the central vision and now have just a dark portion that I can handle. Lucentis has been a life changing injection for me.

I am 76 and want to be able to live independently for many years yet. I don't think that would have been possible with the dramatic loss of vision I had before the injections started. I do have the dry version in the right eye and that is being carefully monitored also.

If only this had been available sooner I would not have had to watch my father struggle for so many years until he became legaly blind. I really appreciate this site as it provides me with so much helpful information!