To see or not to see

September 8, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: First I will tell you I am 84 years old. I have my eyes checked one time a year. I have had cataracts removed from both eyes. My concern is that I will have macular degeneration and go blind. All of my family has had that. Please tell me what I could do to stop that from happening to me. I have yearly exams, floaters and sometimes I have seen light flashes and shadows over the center of the eye. This happens when I go to bed and close my eyes. The next thing that happens when I shut my eyes, I can see faces or other things such as pretty flowers. I don’t tell anybody because it sounds crazy but it has happened for a lot of years. My sister also had this.

DEAR READER: There are two forms of macular degeneration, wet and dry. The most common form is dry which causes loss of vision in the center of the retina, the layer of tissue at the back of the eyeball. Fortunately, the dry form does not usually cause [Read more...]

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February – Vision Awareness

February 1, 2012 By

February is Age-related Macular Degeneration/Low Vision Awareness Month. Eye disorders and blindness don’t receive as much attention as they should. While not typically a threat to life, blindness and conditions that affect the vision can severely impact a person’s quality of life.

Problems with vision can occur at any time and we commonly associate many of those changes with advancing age. Advanced age is inevitable, but because of it we may be at higher risk for some eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy being the most common. The only means of detection is through early recognition and treatment that generally begins with a comprehensive exam and dilation of the pupils.
[Read more...]

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Pain rules senior citizen’s life

November 25, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My mom is 92 and has macular degeneration, so someone reads her your column every morning. It’s heartbreaking to see the horrendous pain that she is in. It’s extreme from her hip down to the foot on her right leg, and it travels, as well.

She has severe arthritis — bone rubbing on bone in her hip because the cartilage is gone, and her sciatic nerve is being pinched. She has spinal stenosis and fibromyalgia as well, as far as we can tell.

She’s tried things from your column from time to time. She’s been to pain doctors, had five shots, acupuncture, seen a chiropractor and has had physical therapy. [Read more...]

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Supplement Proven Effective For Macular Degeneration

April 6, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 73-year-old man. I was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) about a year ago by my optometrist. A year ago he used a special camera to photograph my retina to establish a base image. He repeated the process this year and noticed differences (which he showed me). I then had a second opinion from an ophthalmologist who confirmed the diagnosis.
Both doctors recommended a product called Ocuvite PreserVision which I have been using for the past year. I take the AREDS formulations and so far my condition has not worsened. I attribute that to the supplement.
It is marketed by Bausch and Lomb and available in several formulations. [Read more...]

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Vitamins May Help Dry Macular Degeneration

March 4, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Two months ago you wrote about dry macular degeneration and I have to disagree with your comment that there is no treatment.

Eight years ago I was told by the leading retina expert in my area that I was going blind due to the condition. I immediately moved my office to my home, figuring I would not be able to drive.

A close friend of mine who is an optometrist suggested I try a multi-vitamin specifically designed for the eyes. He read of a discovery that was producing good results. Well, the results were astounding. Although I still have the condition, my right eye tests 20/30 and my left tests 20/40. I lead a normal life.

The multi-vitamin only helps the dry form of the condition. Unfortunately, the eye industry does not accept this multi-vitamin, probably because they can’t make any money with the treatment. [Read more...]

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Dry Macular Degeneration Common In Elderly

January 19, 2009 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Could you please write something in your column about macular degeneration? I have the dry kind.

DEAR READER:
I am not an ophthalmologist but will do my best.

Macular degeneration is an age-related disorder of the eye. It causes deterioration of the macula which is located in the center of the retina. It commonly occurs in individuals over the age of 50. The dry variety of this disease simply means the deterioration is not accompanied by bleeding. It is also the more common form.

Macular degeneration does not cause total blindness; rather it affects only central vision. Central vision is what we use for everyday tasks such as reading, driving, detail work and recognizing faces. [Read more...]

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