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THE MAGNIFIER Issue #35, September 27, 2005
Newsletter from the Macular Degeneration Foundation, Inc.
P.O. Box 531313 Henderson, NV 89053
http://www.eyesight.org
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DON'T GIVE IN TO THE PROGNOSIS
From Macular Degeneration by Robert D'Amato, M.D., Ph.D., and Joan Snyder
http://www.eyesight.org/Books/books.html
"The very term macular degeneration suggests a process of change over time. Negative change
is clearly implied as your eyesight degenerates. Active versus passive reactions is one way to "not give in to the prognosis".
Mary Laneer is a nurse in Chicago. She has worked for many years with a
pain management clinic that helps patients cope with relentless, incurable pain. When she was diagnosed with late-stage wet MD, Mary made only one change in her life: She determined to accept the reality of her
condition. Acceptance is easy to talk about and far more difficult to achieve, but Mary is well aware of the physical destruction that results from fighting the insurmountable difficulties in life. She has seen
firsthand the impact of stress-related symptoms (symptoms unrelated to a specified disease, symptoms unrelated to localized pain) when patients internalize anger and fight the inevitable.
Acceptance is not passive; it is, in
fact, an active choice that allows you to stare an ugly reality in the face and move on. Mary is well aware that her vision may gradually diminish; although she has made no tangible plans to change her life, she relies a bit
more on others for assistance and doesn't much worry that her reputation as wholly self-reliant might need to be revised at some point. She is neither happy nor sad that she has MD. She is merely accepting.
In
the case of MD, science is slow in delivering on its promise, but you must not assume then that you, as a patient, have no role to play. On the contrary, you are in charge of your reactions. The more positive they are,
within the context of your own personality and lifestyle, the less impact the disease will have, regardless of your specific symptoms."
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AMAZING BREAKTHROUGHS (STEM CELL RESEARCH)
Reader's Digest, August, 2005 Re-engineering Your Body by Dan Ferber, PhD
"Last year, ophthalmologist Kohji Nishida, MD, and his co-workers at Japan's Osaka University Medical
School snipped a tiny piece of tissue from inside the cheek of a 58-year-old man who was nearly blind from a rare eye disease. They grew stem cells from that tissue into a sheet in a culture dish, transplanted the sheet onto
the damaged cornea, and covered it with a soft contact lens. Within six weeks, the man could see clearly, and his sight remained clear a year later."
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GRANTS-IN-AID for BLIND OR PARTIALLY SIGHTED PERSONS
Association of Blind Citizens Technology Fund
Association of Blind Citizens
P.O. Box 246
Holbrook, MA 02343
(781) 961-1023
This fund provides grants
to cover 50 percent of the retail price for adaptive devices and software. Applicants must be legally blind and residents of the U.S. All applications must be submitted via email in accordance with the procedures
outlines on the Association's website:
http://www.assocofblindcitizens.org/assistive.html
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CATARACT SURGERY AND MD - ANY RELATIONSHIP?
From Ophthalmology Times - March 1, 2003
"There is no evidence of an association between cataract surgery and neovascular macular degeneration, but cataract surgery may increase the risk for development of central geographic atrophy, according to findings
from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS).
"Many ophthalmologists have seen patients who go on to develop neovascularization after cataract surgery, raising the question of whether there is any cause and effect
relationship between those events," said Frederick L. Ferris III. MD, director, Division of Epidemiology and clinical Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda. MD.
"Considering the
AREDS results, ophthalmologists can probably reassure their patients that there is little evidence of an increased risk of advanced MD after cataract surgery, and so if cataract surgery is indicated, patients should proceed with
surgery," Dr. Ferris reported. "These analysis also point to the fact that AREDS is more than just a clinical trial, but through data acquired in following patients over time, it is providing us with information
that can be useful in clinical practice."
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HOW DOES LUTEIN AND ZEAXANTHIN PROVIDE PROTECTION FOR THE EYE?
From AgingEye Times, at www.agingeye.net
"The macula is
yellow in color due to the presence of pigment, which is composed of two dietary carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin. By absorbing blue-light, lutein and zeaxanthin pigments protect the photoreceptor cells of the retina from light
damage. In addition, lutein and zeaxanthin are antioxidants, able to prevent free-radical damage to the macula. Lutein and zeaxanthin may have different functions in the retina. Support for this comes from the
fact that their distribution in the retina varies, with zeaxanthin the dominant component in the central macula, whereas lutein dominates in the peripheral retina. In addition, zeaxanthin has been shown to be a better
photo-protector during prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation." Studies show minimum dosage of lutein and zeaxanthin from 3-6 mgs each daily. Taking lutein and zeaxanthin with a high fat meal improves
absorption."
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MAGNIFIER NEWSLETTER - AUDIO VERSION
An audio version of the current Magnifier is now available online from the Foundation's "Newsletter" web
page. Look for a gray arrow next to the archives. Most browsers able to show a FLASH video will stream and play the audio file.
http://www.eyesight.org/Newsletter/newsletter.html
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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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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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