Dry Macular Degeneration
Sun Protection is a fact of life™
There are two sides to dry macular degeneration. On the bright side, many people with the eye condition can enjoy comparatively normal and productive lives especially when only one eye is affected.
This is because it is a chronic illness, which means that it progresses slowly over a long period of time, and can therefore allow the patient a wide range of movements during the duration.
On the darker side of things, dry macular degeneration can develop into the more severe form - the “wet” type – that is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. When coupled with the fact that as far as medical science is concerned, there are no viable cures for it now, many people will live with the disease.
How Can You Cope?
Fortunately, there are many ways you can cope with the disease. Always remember that you have help available when you ask for it, from your family and friends to your professional doctor. They will be able to help you in various aspects of your life.
As a patient of age-related macular degeneration:
• See your doctor for prescriptions of macular degeneration glasses, which will help you see better especially for close-up activities like reading.
• If you need to drive, always ask the doctor for advice since there will be necessary precautions to avoid endangering your life and those of the pedestrians and motorists.
• If you cannot drive on your own, take public transportations like vans and shuttles and enlist the assistance of family and friends, if and when necessary.
• Purchase magnifiers and large-print book editions for reading pleasures; subscribe to Internet sites with large fonts or increase the font size in the display; buy household appliances and items with large prints.
• Install good lighting in your home, even when it is too bright for others. It is also a very wise decision to simplify your home such that tripping and bumping hazards like floor rugs and sharp edges are reduced, if not eliminated.
• Most importantly, reach out to other people who suffer from the disease in addition to informing your family and friends of your condition.
Always keep in mind that dry macular degeneration can rob us of our eyesight but it cannot rob us of our spirits. It is up to you to continue living with macular degeneration without losing your soul.
How Can You Prevent It?
Of course, living with macular degeneration as a patient can be avoided. Risk factors like age, race, family history, eye color and sex cannot be controlled, which means that the controllable risks like diet, lifestyle, and sun protection aids are the best bets in macular degeneration prevention.
• Eat foods and drink supplements rich in antioxidants (Vitamins C, E and A) and zinc, as well as fish rich in omega-3. This is sometimes called the macular degeneration diet, which consists of many fruits, green leafy vegetables and fish.
• Stop smoking and abstain from alcohol.
• Maintain ideal body weight and control diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
• Protect your eyes with UV protection sunglasses whenever you are outdoors.
Just keep in mind that
dry macular degeneration dry macular degeneration cannot steal your zest for life and make your life dry. The important thing is to learn how to cope with it and even better, how to prevent it!
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