St. Mungo's Guild put on an extraordinary presentation on Monday 2nd March, where George Kay, who chairs the Macular Disease Society (MDS) in Edinburgh, described both the impact of the disease which affects 10% of patients 66 to 74 years, and treatment and visual aids to help sufferers.

Approximately 10% of patients 66 to 74 years of age will have findings of macular degeneration. The prevalence increases to 30% in patients 75 to 85 years of age. however it can start in the early years, in George Kay's case when he was 26.

Age Related Macular degeneration (ARMD) is a disease that causes progressive damage to the macula. Macula is the central part of the retina that allows us to see fine details. When the macula degenerates, people experience blurring or darkness in the center of their vision. Macular degeneration leads to loss of central vision needed for activities requiring fine vision such as reading, driving and recognising faces. The words on a page may look blurred, or straight lines may look distorted. Peripheral vision is usually retained in macular degeneration therefore blindness (inability to see all light) does not typically occur even in advanced/end-stage macular degeneration. However the central vision loss impairs proficiency in performing most activities of daily living and can make it more difficult for people to live independent lives.

Recent improvements in treatment include the use of Lucentis, which is now free in Scotland, which can halt the deterioration in cases of wet degeneration, and in some cases improve vision. The dry variant unfortunately is at present incurable.

George displayed and demonstrated a simple camera on a boom system that links to a standard television receiver to display magnified images, be they newsprint, photographs or any other paper based image. The camera can be moved and focussed easily to make the image larger or smaller as required. Using a pricing structure that covers the cost of manufacture and design, this aid is a breakthrough for those suffering from the condition and has been shown to improve the quality of life for sufferers.

George Kay can be contacted on 0131-664 3460

More information can be found at:- http://www.agingeye.net/maculardegen/maculardegeninformation.php

A recent Scotsman article can be found at:-

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/topstories/A-caring-eye-for-detail.3838385.jp

Back to Top