Now that you can do something,
you want to find out as soon as you
can. This is called an Amsler Grid.
It’s a little square with evenly
spaced vertical and horizontal lines
and a dot in the middle. All you do
is just tape it to the wall, stand
about a foot away and put on your
reading glasses if you wear them,
and cover one eye and concentrate on
the dot. Now if these lines become
blurry or wavy or if there are any
blind spots, that’s the red flag
that says go see your eye doctor
immediately.
GB: Is My Eye
Health distributing the Amsler Grid
as part of the campaign?
BW: Yes; you can
get your own Amsler Grid simply by
going to the website
www.preventblindness.org. It’s a
good idea to do it because one out
of every four people has a beginning
problem with that.
GB: Dr.
Puliafito, how common is AMD?
DR: Well, we
think there are about two million
Americans that have the wet form of
macular degeneration, but as Betty
said, almost 25% of seniors will
have some form of macular
degeneration so it’s a common
problem.
GB: What would
you say to caregivers concerning
their own or their loved one’s eye
health?
BW: We should
all monitor our vision and encourage
our friends, family and peers to do
the same. AMD is devastating
to those who have it and the thought
of someone losing their vision is
too much to bear. When I learned
that vision may be preserved when
wet AMD is caught and treated early,
I wanted to spread the word to as
many people as possible.
GB: Are
they any new treatments for AMD?
DR: One of the
new treatments that are available is
called Macugen and it’s the first in
a whole new kind of drug that
specifically blocks the protein in
the back of the eye that’s causing
these abnormal blood vessels.
The treatment is very effective,
it’s safe. It’s administered
in the doctor’s office and it’s
something that all seniors really
need to know about.
