Suddenly I had Wet AMD

by Dorothy
(Boise, Idaho)

I am female, 70 years old, retired many years, and avid gardener.

On one afternoon in September, 2010, I came in from working in the garden seeing a bright patch in my right eye. I thought it was because I had stared at the sun inadvertently, or perhaps it was the image of the kitchen light, but a few minutes later it was still there.

It stayed there. I could see it, eyes shut or open, but it was transparent, my vision was still okay.

Finally after 2 weeks with the glowing patch-alternately red or green (depending on whether my eyes were open or closed)I made an appointment with an opthalomist. After umpteen tests, he concluded it was wet macular degeneration, and sent me to a retina specialist.


At my first appointment the specialist confirmed the diagnosis, and I agreed to have injections once a month, in October, November, and December.

After the first injection I thought it was getting better, there was no blindness, and I could read fine. Lines were fairly straight, according to the grid I was given. But then the wavy lines got worse,reading was more difficult, and it was harder to see the notes of the music I singing in church. There was a small blotted out area on the left part of the macula, blotting out faces and parts of the grid.

After the third injection the blotted out area has lightened, and I have learned to ignore the wavy lines by adjusting my focus somehow.

The specialist is encouraged because my right eye has stayed between 20/40 and 20/50, and my left eye, diagnosed with very minor dry MD, has stayed 20/20. I have been applying drops for 4 days after each injection, and taking an arends supplement twice daily. He has set my next appointment for 6 weeks.


My question is why I got the wetMD at all; my diet I thought was pretty good; I had been eating most of the AMD recommended foods, weekly, for years.

Looking for answers, I wondered about an episode that occurred on the early morning of June 30, 2010. I had passed out at my outside back door, fell, hit my head on the sidewalk. I was taken to ER, and while there my heart stopped 4 times, so the doctor put in a pacemaker. I regained consciousness that afternoon and after 3 more days in hospital I went home. I had no after effects except a slight headache and dizziness.

I wonder if the MD is related to that episode?
Or is it just old age?