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THE MAGNIFIER Issue #22, June 14, 2004
Newsletter from the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 531313 Henderson, NV 89053
http://www.eyesight.org
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GOOD NEWS ABOUT TALKING BOOKS!
You can now purchase a small, portable cassette player
that will play your "Talking Books" (tapes from the National Library Service for the Blind or Handicapped)." This new cassette player has many features that make listening to your favorite books much easier.
The headphone is a feature that makes listening to your favorite book possible anywhere and at any time. The sleep switch feature allows the machine to "turn off" when you fall asleep. How does this
work? When the switch is plugged into the cassette adaptor you hold the "play lever" in your hand to play the tape. If you fall asleep, the button is released and your place in the story is automatically
saved. For more information on how to order this cassette (brand name ILA) you may call Independent Living Aides at 800-537-2118. For more information on "Talking Books" in your area, call your local library.
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HOW DOES MACULAR DEGENERATION AFFECT MY TOTAL VISION?
By Donald H. Kausler
Scripps Howard News Service
"ARMD is a serious form of visual impairment. It consists of the
degeneration of photoreceptor cells (cones) in the retina's macular section. At the center of the macula is the fovea, the area most densely packed with cones and the most sensitive part of the retina. The macula is
where most of our perception of visual details originates. The loss of photoreceptors results in the inability to resolve finer visual details. Consequently, reading and driving become virtually impossible. But
receptors in the periphery of the retina are rarely affected. Thus, victims of MD are usually able to see sufficiently well to move about and perform the simpler activities of daily living."
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PHOTORECEPTOR REGENERATION
MDF Inc. is currently funding a research grant to Dr. Alan Marmorstein, research scientist, at the University of Arizona. The grant proposal will focus on the
possibility of regenerating photoreceptor cells by using microcurrent stimulation. To contribute to this research, make checks payable to: Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 531313, Henderson NV 89053
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YOU GO GIRL!
LaVon Yepez from Arkansas writes: "At ninety-one years old, I'm diagnosed as legally blind. However, it hasn't stopped me from traveling unaccompanied or
teaching a Bible class for senior women. I often walk the six blocks to church.
Thank you for the AMD Magnifier Newsletter. I forwarded the newsletter to both my son and daughter to help them understand my
condition. WEBTV has been a great service to me because my "screen" is 27 inches and I still do research and e-mail with it. I am an AMD senior coping well and living independently in a high-rise
apartment."
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STATINS AND ASPIRIN MAY PROTECT AGAINST SEVERE VISION LOSS
From UCSF: American Journal of Ophthalmology (April)
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amd_news.htm
"Cholesterol-busting statins, the largest-selling prescription drugs in the U.S., may protect older people from blindness, a new study shows. Aspirin also appears to provide significant protection, according to
the research.
Scientists at UCSF assessed the use of statins and aspirin among more than 300 elderly patients with AMD. About one in eight cases of AMD deteriorates into what is called wet AMD, the leading cause of
irreversible severe vision loss in older people.
The scientists found that those patients already taking statins were half as likely as those without statins to develop the more severe wet AMD, caused by the growth of new
blood vessels underneath the retina. Those already on aspirin were about 40% less likely to develop this new blood vessel growth, technically called choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
"Standard treatments for wet
AMD often result in stabilization of vision loss, rather than improved vision, so it's important to identify treatments that may prevent the disease," said Jacque L. Duncan, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at UCSF and
senior author of the study.
Earlier studies suggested that statins' ability to lower cholesterol levels in the blood may account for their protective effect against MD, since some evidence suggests that fat deposits in eye
membranes may lead to AMD."
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SUNGLASSES?
Protecting your eyes from sunlight is imperative! The lens should be an amber color with UV400 protection. Polarized sunglasses
are even MORE effective but are more expensive. Either can be purchased at any drug or department store.
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IS DIET IMPORTANT?
Eating right and exercising can and will make a
difference in your life. Regardless of your age and eye condition, you can always make healthy choices in your diet and find simple, effective exercises to do during the day.
Overweight patients are more likely
to develop advanced AMD according to a study in the June 2003 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. If you have macular degeneration, it pays to watch your weight. A recent study found that overweight AMD patients were about
twice as likely to develop advanced AMD as their normal weight counter-parts. However, increased physical activity decreased their risk.
The study's researchers followed 261 AMD patients for an average follow-up time of 4.6
years. They measured the patients' body mass index (BMI), which is calculated by squaring your height in inches, dividing it into your weight, and multiplying the result by 703. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to
29.9 is overweight and 30 or more is obese. Overweight patients were 2.32 times as likely as normal-weight patients to develop advanced AMD, and obese ones were 2.35 times as likely. The researchers used geographic atrophy and
neovascularization as measures of advanced AMD. Neovascularization causes central vision loss in AMD patients.
Patients who performed vigorous physical activity three times per week had a 25% decrease in their risk of
developing advanced AMD, compared with participants who engaged in no vigorous physical activity.
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CONTACTING MDF
To speak to a support representative directly, you may call
1-888-633-3937. If you reach our voice mail, please speak slowly and distinctly.
ORDERING BOOKS & TAPES
When purchasing items from Amazon.com, please remember to use the MDF search box located at
http://www.eyesight.org/Books/books.html . By simply originating your search from our website, Amazon rewards the Foundation with a small commission from each product you order. Thank you.
MAKING CONTRIBUTIONS:
Please make checks payable to Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 531313, Henderson, Nevada 89053, or you may use your credit card on our web site http://www.eyesight.org/Donations/donations.html . Your
contributions make our services available as a support system for macular degeneration patients in the following ways:
1. We provide toll-free lines for personal contact assistance.
2. We mail brochures and other printed materials upon request.
3. We support an award-winning web site that provides the latest up-to-date information.
4. We fund research proposal grants to provide therapies for both the wet
and dry form of AMD. Contributions marked "research" are used 100% for research.
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PRODUCTS FOR LOW VISION
To order the eye supplement that is endorsed by the Macular
Degeneration Foundation, OPTOTABS, visit http://www.optogon.com. This site also provides two low-vision products that have given many victims of vision loss their ability to read important documents. Call this toll-free
number for more information 800-924-4393. A percent of the proceeds from the sale of these items is invested into Macular Degeneration Research.
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MDF was founded in 1992 by Edmund
J. Aleksandrovich Ph.D (a victim of macular degeneration). It provides MD patients and their families with the information necessary to understand the disease, the latest news concerning ways to cope with the disease, and
supports the efforts of researchers to find a cure.
Subscribers who wish to cancel their subscription or change their email address may visit: http://www.eyesight.org/Newsletter/newsletter.html .
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