I'm 41 and have been diagnosed with Dry Macular Degeneration and have a tear on my Bruch's membrane - help!
551168
Hi.   I am so sorry to hear about your diagnoses. \n\nFirst, lets talk about the macula.  This is the center of the vision.  When you look at your watch to tell time or read a book or look at details, you are using your macula.  It is a very small part of the retina, but very important for seeing details.   \n\nThere are two types of macular degeneration, dry and wet. The wet type usually comes on suddenly and there are a few treatments out there to slow vision loss.  The dry type is a progressive type and right now we have no treatment for it.  You have to be watched to make sure you do not have a sudden change in the vision so that you do not develop the wet type. You can use mini blinds or anything with straight edges to monitor your vision.  Check each eye every day and make sure that you are not noticing straight lines starting to curve or become distorted.\n\nNext, over the years there has been a ton of research on this condition because it is soooo common and sooooo frustrating.  The newest research says that taking a vitamin with Lutein and Zeaxanthin.  You can buy these over the counter at the pharmacy.  If you take a vitamin anyway you might as well take one with these ingredients in them. Studies are showing that this MAY slow the progression of the disease.  \n\nNow, one other thing, you do not go totally blind with macular degeneration.  People with advanced disease can still see to get around.  I am by no means downplaying the debilitation that this disease causes but the most common fear is blindness and this disease does not leave you completely without sight.  \n\nYou are also VERY nearsighted and this is of concern because of the length of the eye and the tendency to have retinal detachments or lattice degeneration, which is where the retina "stretches" and can cause a tear leading to detachment.  This is probably why they told you to stop with the TKD with the fear that you may get hit in the eye and with your eye being vulnarable already it could be bad.\n\nGood luck to you, I hope this information can help you somehow.
1159898
i will tell u what are the reasons of that and i will show u the way to get ride of it:\n1-lack of sleep(as u said u sleep enough 8 hrs per day....dont sleep during a day....do some kind of sport in the evening...eat the light dinner with yaghourt....dont drink tea or cafe after 6 pm....eat some biscuits and warm milk before u go to bed...when u see u cant sleep leave ur bed ..read something then when u get sleepy again back to bed)...\n2-smoking(its better if u decrease the number of cigarette u smoke)\n3-nutrition(have to drink 7 glasses of water per day...2 piece of fruits including ur routine foods)\n4-stress\n5-glasses(better to use contact lense)\n6- watching the monitor(every one hr let ur eyes rest for 5 mins)\n7-rubbing ur eyes alot....make ur little vein broken(try to dont rub ur eyes alot and use warm pad on ur eyes at night if during the day u rubed them)\n8-anemia(u have to ask ur G.P ab that and by blood test u can find that out),like when u dont have enough Iron ...u can use some ferrus sulfate tablets per night(but just wih ur G.P order\n9- lack of Zinc(one tablet of Zn per night)\n10-Genetic(here is no way just u can cover it by cosmetic brands)
795749
Best money that i ever spent.   Had a prescription (for contracts) of -6.5 in both eyes - so my eyesight was terrible.   Had both eyes done at the same time - better than 20;20 vision after recovery.  Hurts a little bit straight after, but recovery time is quick - everything was fine after 2-3 days.  \n\nWould advise anybody to have it done.
731368
Noway you can do away with your spectacles.\nEye exercises will help to contain the defect\nIf you are lucky you may get rid of your near sightedness.\nLaser surgery is most effective and best.
60245
use an anti-glare screen. increase ur monitor's refresh rate. keep some natural scenary picture behing ur monitor. see that often. use some frops after consulting ur ophthalmologist if ur eye gets dried often. take rest for eyes every 1 hr.
619506
I do not see any mention that it would be helpful for dry eyes.  You can read all about EPO and it's benefits here\nhttp://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,779,00.html#Health_Benefits
896614
I have the same problem, I just found out I need glasses for it, but also for distance and stigmatism.  Nice combo, basically I need bifocals at the age of 25. :(  But the doc did say the computer is bad for the eyes, so every 20 minutes, you should look 20 feet away and look at that place for 20 seconds. 20/20/20.  It is supposed to help your eyes refresh.  Sleeping a full night helps too, don't forget to blink, use drops if needed.  The problem with computer screens is that each tiny pixel in the screen is moving on its own, almost flickering.  We can't see it because the flicker and pixels are so so small, but the eye needs to use more energy to focus on that screen, thus damaging your eye sight.  Get glasses, computer glasses, they are supposed to help, I am waiting to buy mine because I don't have eye insurance in 2006, but will sign up for it in 2007.
359477
I had it done in 2003 for about $2400. Insurance did NOT cover it.\n\nHere's my bloggage from the time:\n\nhttp://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=stjnky&nextdate=4%2f6%2f2003+23%3a59%3a59.999\n\nI was 37 at the time. That's "gettin on up thar" in eyeball years, which means my prescription for nearsightedness had been stable for a good long time, which is a good thing in LASIKworld, but since I was approaching middle age, the warranty wouldn't be good for very long... meaning, LASIK may give you 20/20 vision *right now*, but your eyes are still likely to change as you get older and you *might* end up needing glasses again some day.\n\nI've been very happy with the results. The only downside is that, I guess since they are cutting through nerves in your cornea when they do this sort of thing, your eyes might end up being a little bit drier than they used to be (maybe you don't *feel* all the dust particles like you used to? I dunno.)\n\nOhyeah, and this year, at age 40, when I went for my eye exam, I was informed that my left eye is 20/20, but my right eye is 20/50.\n\nI still don't *need* glasses, but I find that it helps with night driving. The other interesting thing about LASIK and night vision is that, since your pupils get bigger in the dark, you're viewing things through more of the laser-scraped part of your cornea, so you're more likely to have slightly less-than-perfect vision at night. Have you ever heard about the "starbursts" some people report seeing around lights at night? It's probably due to that. I don't see starbursts, and the doc told me that's mostly a thing of the past as LASIK technology has improved over the years, but I do experience a bit of hard-to-describe distortion. It's not a *dealbreaker*, but the glasses *do* make it better.\n\n(Fun fact: note the monacle in the profile pic? That's for the 20/50 eye. :-)
758333
Do you wear contacts?  If so, maybe you should take them out for a bit.  Try using some eye drops if you have any. Also is it painful at all?  If its painful you should probably make an appointment to see an optometrist.  Even if it isn't painful maybe its time to book an appointment anyways so your optometrist can let you know what to do since you spend too much time on a computer
536952
I wore contact lenses for 31 1/2 years and tri-focal glasses for 10 years.  My vision was 20/1000!!!!! I had lasik surgery last September and found it to be a miracle!!!! My vision is 20/25 and I can read things I was not able to read since I was a small child!  There are NO aftereffects whatsoever.  This procedure does not last a lifetime, and will necessitate further procedures (depending on the original-blade or bladeless surgery) and maybe that is where the silliness of causing blindness in old age comes from.  I would SERIOUSLY consider a consultation.  They are usually free and will answer all of the questions YOU have.  In the long run, it is a small price to pay for sight!
1060959
Were you given a diagnosis? Is she under investigation? Could be glaucoma in which case the deterioration can be stopped but the sight cannot be improved. \n\nWhy don't you see the doctor again and understand what the situation is? If he/she is not helpful, seek another opinion quickly
228609
If you saw your doctor soon after you were diagnosed, you might have gotten a little better with prednisone (steroids) and acyclovir (antivirals).  Eye lubrication drops to your eyes will make them feel better.  \n\nUnfortunately, the reality of the situation is that you may never get better.  Odds are that you will completely recover or get significantly better, but there is a possibility that you won't.
366827
Go to the eye doctor and they will give you eye drops to use. It should be gone in a week or less.
909506
I've had patients with retinal detachments that get surgery.  The type of surgery depends on how severe the detachment is.  If you caught it early enough, they may be able to fix your retina with laser treatment, which probably won't affect your vision too badly.  If it's more advanced, they may need to put a "scleral buckle" around your eye.  If that's the case, you can expect a gradual change in your prescription for the next 6 months or so.  Worse yet, you'll need macular repair, but few people let it get that bad.\n\nGood luck!
303252
I work for an optometrist that also comanaages laser patients. I've probably met at least 150 people that have had it done. That vast majority love it and have had excellent results. Usually, the worst I've seen are cases of chronic dry eyes. That doesn't mean there aren't risks, they are just low. Do your research to find a good surgeon and ask lots of questions. Remember you may need touch-ups and if you are young, you will need reading glasses at around 40-45 regardless.
882662
you probably have a corneal abrasion if you go to the doctor they can prob give you some eye drops to help it heal
45651
Rinse your eyes with water as often as you can.  Try taking a vitamin A supplement - it's a fat based vitamin that your body uses to make the lubricant for your eyes.  If it persists do see an eye doctor.