Wet AMD - My World Fell Apart

by Annie
(Blackpool Lancashire United Kingdom)

I have always been short sighted and 3 years ago had cataract operations in both eyes.

I was so happy that for the first time in nearly 60 years I could see distances without my glasses, albeit needing them for reading.

However, at a routine exam at the opticians I was referred to the emergency appointments dept and was told I had wet AMD in my right and dry AMD in my left eye.

I could deal with the dry AMD as my sight is still comparatively good, but the news of my wet AMD broke my heart. I went home and cried for two days. My mother had AMD and was completely blind at the end of her life, she did live to be 89.

It has always been a worry at the back of my mind but I hoped that I would at least have a few more years of good sight as I am still only 62.

5 days after being diagosed I had an angiography of the back of my eyes (that in itself was painless and nothing to worry about) and given my first course of photo dynamic therapy (PDT). I was also offered the option of Lucentis injections but the consultant frightened me about this as he said someone as short sighted as me had a higher chance of retina detachment and total blindness through this treatment.

However I still have the option of this treatment open to me and just don't know what to do for the best. On the positive side I keep telling myself how lucky I am compared to my mother. There was no cure for her. At least now we have some chances of treatment and more research is being done all the time, so I have stopped feeling so sorry for myself.

I am now concentrating on researching all I can about this disease and all the help available. Has anyone else any experience of any of the treatments I have mentioned here.