What is the prognosis of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?

Posted by prayingtolucy @prayingtolucy, Aug 3 11:15pm

Can anyone tell me what I am up against if it turns out that I have intermediate AMD. I am 56 and healthy. Does it progress the same as it does in the elderly? Can it remain stable for decades? Are we close to a cure? Do the vitamins and fresh fruit and leafy green vegetable diet work to slow or stop it? I am so upset and scared over this. Do the eye injections work or do they stop after a few years? ... will I be centrally blind by the time I am 65?
Will there be a cure before it is too late for me and many others?
I am so upset

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@prayingtolucy

Do you know which stage your dad was in when diagnosed? And how long before he started eye injections?
I am praying for the stem therapy to be successful and useful before it's too late for me and others like me. I read it is maybe 10-15 years away.
Thank you for your help.

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I am also curious if your dad has good vision acuity, facial recognition, does he struggle with it or does he see you right away? Watching TV, reading ... I'm sorry for the 20 questions.

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@prayingtolucy

I am also curious if your dad has good vision acuity, facial recognition, does he struggle with it or does he see you right away? Watching TV, reading ... I'm sorry for the 20 questions.

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Sorry for the delay. He sees me immediately. In fact, there's not much he misses. He's an avid reader and my parents watch lots of TV.
At his diagnosis, he had dry in one and wet in the other.
He does struggle with depth perception and is unable to play golf anymore.

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It was so long ago I can't remember if injections began immediately, but I think so. I want to say they began aggressively treating the eye that had wet.

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@talltxlady

It was so long ago I can't remember if injections began immediately, but I think so. I want to say they began aggressively treating the eye that had wet.

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This is such great information. I'm thinking if your dad presented with wet even in one eye at his diagnosis that they started the injections immediately because wet AMD is when the injections begin. How is the dry AMD eye? They now have injections for it but only if it progresses to GA, or has also turned wet?
I bet your dad had dry AMD for 7 to 10 years before he was diagnosed. Which would put him close to my age. That's just me guessing of course.
I believe my elderly father was diagnosed and sent on his way without anyone explaining what he had or how important it was to get treatment. He probably presented as wet and he went blind not knowing it. He never mentioned it. He passed away three years ago and today I am in sadness not being to help him because the opthalmologist did care to inform him. I am now getting to bottom of it.
I do apologize for always going on so long.

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@talltxlady

Sorry for the delay. He sees me immediately. In fact, there's not much he misses. He's an avid reader and my parents watch lots of TV.
At his diagnosis, he had dry in one and wet in the other.
He does struggle with depth perception and is unable to play golf anymore.

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At least your dad is now getting the treatments he requires. I'm sure they've changed some over the years since I think a new injection was approved much earlier than the time he began treatments. I didn't realize they even had injections back then. Did your dad have a parent or sibling with AMD? Like I mentioned, I was adamant that I didn't and just found out last week that I do. Imagine my shock.
I'm so grateful you chose to read my posts. You've been a Godsend in my opinion. 🙂

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@prayingtolucy

At least your dad is now getting the treatments he requires. I'm sure they've changed some over the years since I think a new injection was approved much earlier than the time he began treatments. I didn't realize they even had injections back then. Did your dad have a parent or sibling with AMD? Like I mentioned, I was adamant that I didn't and just found out last week that I do. Imagine my shock.
I'm so grateful you chose to read my posts. You've been a Godsend in my opinion. 🙂

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No, his parents didn't, his sister passed away young at 43, but she didn't. No other family members that we know of.
He was a golfer since his late 30's and never wore sunglasses 😎
Are your eyes light in color? His aren't, but mine are. He still smokes, but not much. I quit 6 years ago. Just celebrated on 07/22 😁 that's the single best thing I've ever done for myself. But not before getting bladder cancer.

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@prayingtolucy

This is such great information. I'm thinking if your dad presented with wet even in one eye at his diagnosis that they started the injections immediately because wet AMD is when the injections begin. How is the dry AMD eye? They now have injections for it but only if it progresses to GA, or has also turned wet?
I bet your dad had dry AMD for 7 to 10 years before he was diagnosed. Which would put him close to my age. That's just me guessing of course.
I believe my elderly father was diagnosed and sent on his way without anyone explaining what he had or how important it was to get treatment. He probably presented as wet and he went blind not knowing it. He never mentioned it. He passed away three years ago and today I am in sadness not being to help him because the opthalmologist did care to inform him. I am now getting to bottom of it.
I do apologize for always going on so long.

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It's still dry.
If that's what happened to your Dad, I'm so sorry. That is horrible to think a doctor didn't care enough to make sure he explained everything well, and how important the injections are. My Dad says they don't hurt at all.

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@talltxlady

No, his parents didn't, his sister passed away young at 43, but she didn't. No other family members that we know of.
He was a golfer since his late 30's and never wore sunglasses 😎
Are your eyes light in color? His aren't, but mine are. He still smokes, but not much. I quit 6 years ago. Just celebrated on 07/22 😁 that's the single best thing I've ever done for myself. But not before getting bladder cancer.

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No, I have brown eyes, brown hair, and olive skin. I don't fit the profile at all, lol.
I quit smoking approximately eight years ago and 15 years before I cut back drastically. My husband is not a smoker and I respected that by not smoking in the house, or car but I also didn't smoke at work.
There are eight of us but four have passed away so I will never know if any of them had or would have had it in life. I have informed the ones who are still here as well as my own children so they can start having conversations with their eye doctors.
I hope because mine caught early and it's dry in both eyes along with biannual check ups with the retina specialist at The Wilmer Eye Institute Johns hopkins medicine we will catch it right away if it changes and requires injections. I hope I am blessed to keep my normal vision for the rest of my life. I pray everyday to St Lucy the Patron saint of eye disorders.
I'm surprised your dad didn't quit smoking right away. I guess it isn't affecting him since the injections are still working.
I am very sorry to hear you have or had bladder cancer. Cancer is just as scary of a diagnosis as this. I will keep you in my prayers.

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@talltxlady

It's still dry.
If that's what happened to your Dad, I'm so sorry. That is horrible to think a doctor didn't care enough to make sure he explained everything well, and how important the injections are. My Dad says they don't hurt at all.

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My aunt, my dad's sister has wet in one eye. She told me she only has AMD in one eye but I bet she had it in both but the other eye is dry. She's 89 and has had it for about 10 years. I wonder if she had it longer but didn't know because maybe she didn't get regular check ups. I'm just confused why I have it so young. At least it was caught early. I pray I have the good luck as your dad or better since it's still early intermediate AMD.
I thought they injected into the pupils but now I've learned they inject into the white of the eye. That seems better and less scary, I guess. 🙂

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@prayingtolucy

No, I have brown eyes, brown hair, and olive skin. I don't fit the profile at all, lol.
I quit smoking approximately eight years ago and 15 years before I cut back drastically. My husband is not a smoker and I respected that by not smoking in the house, or car but I also didn't smoke at work.
There are eight of us but four have passed away so I will never know if any of them had or would have had it in life. I have informed the ones who are still here as well as my own children so they can start having conversations with their eye doctors.
I hope because mine caught early and it's dry in both eyes along with biannual check ups with the retina specialist at The Wilmer Eye Institute Johns hopkins medicine we will catch it right away if it changes and requires injections. I hope I am blessed to keep my normal vision for the rest of my life. I pray everyday to St Lucy the Patron saint of eye disorders.
I'm surprised your dad didn't quit smoking right away. I guess it isn't affecting him since the injections are still working.
I am very sorry to hear you have or had bladder cancer. Cancer is just as scary of a diagnosis as this. I will keep you in my prayers.

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Thank you so much. I will pray for you as well. I pray to St. Peregrine, the cancer saint 🙏❤️‍🩹🤗

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