My Mom has macular degeneration, the dry kind. She was just diagnosed.?

I would like some answers from people who's loved ones have went through this. We lost my Dad three years ago to cancer and I'm worried for her, and she really misses Dad even more now. I need tips to keep her spirits up, and I need ideas on helping her adjust. I will not send her to assisted living, I can help her. She is only 62 years old

Does she know that while 87% of visual loss from macular degeneration is from wet ARMD, 87% actually have the dry type like her. It would be good for you to speak with her ophthalmologist to see how extensive her disease is, including how good is her visual acuity. Being diagnosed with ARMD isn't a "death sentence" for your eyes. Some people have low grades of ARMD which don't progress much or affect their vision much, while some folks have a much more aggressive course. The other good thing is that if it evolves in to the wet form, there are new treatment modalities which can be very successful in controlling the situation and limiting vision loss. The disease is also not necessarily symmetric - one eye may be fine while the other could be doing poorly.

Main thing is to work with her ophthalmologist. Get a feel for how good or bad the situation is. Follow their advice, such as taking the AREDS vitamins and checking for visual changes with the Amsler card, maintain recommended follow-ups. Make sure that you're comfortable with your eye care provider, i.e. their up to date, will spend the time to speak with you and who will be happy to answer questions for you on the phone, even if you think they're silly ones.