You
can call Betty White by many
recognizable names— Sue Ann Nivens,
Rose Nyland, animal activist and
now, leading advocate for senior eye
health. Betty has become the
spokesperson for “My Eye Health: In
the Wink of an Eye,” a
national campaign to educate
Americans, in particular older ones,
about age-related macular
degeneration, also called AMD, and
the importance of early detection
and treatment. AMD is the leading
cause of blindness in Americans over
age 60.
About 15 million Americans — almost
one in four over the age of 50 --
have AMD which may severely impact
the ability to read, watch TV, drive
or even recognize faces of family
and friends. Editor-In-Chief
Gary Barg sits down for an in-depth
conversation with this legendary
actress and dedicated advocate and
Dr. Carmen A. Puliafito, Chairman of
The University of Miami’s Bascom
Palmer Eye Institute.
GARY BARG: A
very important issue that caregivers
are dealing with is age-related
macular degeneration as it is the
leading cause of blindness in people
over 60. Can you tell me what
it is exactly?
DR. PULIAFITO: Macular
degeneration is a major public
health issue for us now with so many
seniors that are out there.
There are two forms of macular
degeneration – the dry form and the
more serious wet form of AMD.
What happens is the central part of
your vision can be affected, the
part of vision that you use to read,
to recognize faces, to drive a car.
And if you have the symptoms of
blurry vision or wavy vision and
you’re a senior, it may not be a
cataract, it may not be glaucoma, it
may be new wet AMD. You need to see
your ophthalmologist because we have
some great new treatments for wet
AMD that can preserve or even
improve your vision. It’s also very
important to have a routine eye
examination to know that you have
the early signs of AMD and Betty
will tell you about the great way to
screen yourself.
BETTY WHITE:
We’re having a whole campaign – a
“My Eye Health Campaign”— for that
very reason because so many don’t
know what age-related macular
degeneration is. They know about
glaucoma, they know about other
problems, but this is a mystery to
them and we’re trying to spread the
word that it’s something that’s the
leading cause of blindness in people
over 65.
GB: How
would someone know for sure if they
have AMD?
BW: You need to
have an eye examination by your
ophthalmologist to know for sure,
but there’s a way you can even check
yourself at home, which is a
marvelous idea and it’s so
important. A short time ago there
was no such thing as any treatment;
you just were stuck with it.
