Macular degeneration
is a disease that can eventually lead to difficulty reading or driving or could even cause blindness. It is most common in those age 60 and older. Though there is no cure, there are ways to slow its advancement, one of which is exercise. People who lead an active lifestyle are 70 percent less likely to develop the disease than those with a sedentary lifestyle. Also there are specific ways to train the eye to see around macular degeneration and make the disease more manageable.
Eccentric Viewing
Eccentric viewing is a technique where one trains the eye to see around the macular degeneration. The patient learns to view things in a way that is skewed, but appears normal because of the macular degeneration. The person finds the healthy part of their retina and looks through that. The first step is a series of charts that help the person pinpoint the area of the retina that sees with the most detail. Instead of looking at something dead on, the person looks slightly away from it.
Practice
When using the eccentric viewing technique, practice makes perfect. After determining which eye is best, the patient should use high magnification and good overhead lighting to help with the tactic. There are training courses available with the Macular Disease Society. With eccentric viewing, people who were unable to read for years were able to again.
Blue Blockers
One method that slows the progress of macular degeneration is the use of blue blocker sunglasses. Blue light is visible to us in anything that appears blue in color. It is also part of the makeup of the white light of the sun, or other artificial white lights. Some studies have shown blue light to deteriorate eyesight. Blue blocker sunglasses have a slight yellow tint that blocks the blue light without reducing overall light. Many people with macular degeneration have found them to be beneficial. They are available in most places that sunglasses are sold.
Tags: macular degeneration, around macular, around macular degeneration, blocker sunglasses, blue light, macular degeneration, viewing technique
