Wet AMD - An EARLY diagnosis and treatment - (Successful so far)

by Brian
(Christchurch, New Zealand)

I am 71 years old, male and live in Christchurch, New Zealand, where we have experienced around 8000 earthquakes and after shock events over the last 14 months.

I have always had good vision in both eyes, up until just a few months ago, although I have worn reading glasses for a few years.

On 23 August 2011 I went to my optometrist for an assessment to upgrade my reading glasses. This had been prompted by the fact that for the previous two or three weeks I had noticed a fuzziness around the centre of my left eye which I had thought was more moisture in the eye due to the possibility of a cold coming on.

As a little background information, I have been involved in the sport of Indoor target shooting for many years, (with some success, and in fact in early August had won my grade in the local championship finals. As part of my involvement I was doing some coaching for other shooters. Some of this involved looking through a small 'spotting telescope' at the distant targets, and because I did not want to put excess strain on my 'aiming' right eye, I used my left eye to look through the 'scope'.

I had never had any problems in the past, but it was doing this type of activity over the previous few weeks that I suddenly noticed the fault in my left eye vision.

At my check up on the 23 August I was advised that there was this problem in my left eye, and an urgent appointment was made for that day with an Ophthalmologist.

This was when I was made aware that I had developed the wet macular degeneration problem, and various options were explained to me.

I subsequently went through the procedure of having an intravitreal injection of Avastin into the left eye on 02 September 2011.

I was advised that this procedure could not be guaranteed for success, and that it might also be necessary to undergo more than one after about 6-8 weeks periods. So far this first treatment has proved successful, and at the recent follow up consultation the 'eye-doctor', (easier to spell) was extremely pleased with the result.

I am aware of ongoing requirements for diet and exercising to keep blood pressure under control.
I am also aware of the availability of many visual aids which I hope I may never have to use, through an earlier contact with an older woman friend who had been suffering this problem from many years development.

My story is put here to encourage anyone who is unlucky enough to develop this problem to seek EARLY advice and treatment.

REPLY

Thank you Brian for sharing your story. My nephew is planning to go to New Zealand in February. He has been there before and says it is one of the most beautiful countries.

Best wishes for good vision for a long time!

Leslie