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Jack leaned
forward and his eyes got wider. What
I remember most was how blue they were.
Jack was 80 years old and an active golfer
and sw immer.
He had fought for six years in World War
II, married his high-school sweetheart,
raised five kids - and still was nearly
sharp enough to qualify for the TV show
"Who Wants to be a Millionaire?".
Jack was
getting his eyes examined this day because
he failed his driver's license vision
test.
He leaned
closer for the answer. I had to tell him
his central driving vision was cloudy of
macular degeneration. I explained that
macular degeneration is the deterioration
of the central part of the retina, the
"macula" in the eye. The retina is like
film in the camera that lets you have
vision. The macula is where the central
vision is focused. I explained that
macular degeneration is like using
80-year-old film in the same camera.
Jack's
reading, driving and watching TV vision
was affected. His independence was
threatened.
He sat back
and asked, "Was if from too much reading?"
I answered,
no; the eyes do not degenerate from
reading, driving or watching TV.
His next
question was, "Why me, then?"
I told him
that macular degeneration increases with
age, is more frequent in patients with
blue eyes, and increases with sun
(ultraviolet light) exposure. We do not
know the exact cause, but it is like
"hardening of the arteries" in the exact
central vision.
Jack asked the
big question next: "Will I go blind?"
I was able to
tell him that the vision damage is usually
localized to the central vision, and that
people do not go blind. The side vision
remains normal around the central
blurriness. In fact, most people will
keep their reading and driving vision with
precautions, medical exams and treatment.
Jack was
lucky.
Special
photographs identified the damage, and
special laser treatment stopped
it-prevented further damage-and helped
restore his vision to qualify for driving
again.
To prevent
further damage, I recommended antioxidant
vitamins and ultraviolet protection
sunglasses for Jack and his blue-eyed
children.
I will always
remember those piercing blue eyes and be
grateful that Jack got his eyes examined
and treated in time. |
