How I Plan for Specific Tasks With Geographic Atrophy

By Joan Kathryn, arsenic told to Keri Wiginton 

I’m 79 now, and my expert diagnosed maine pinch age-related macular degeneration (AMD) successful 2008. Over nan past 15 years, I’ve developed bedewed AMD successful my near oculus and geographic atrophy (GA) successful some eyes. 

I don’t for illustration to telephone attraction to myself, and group often don’t recognize I person imagination issues. But I person blank spots that make it harder to admit faraway faces, publication good print, aliases find mini objects. 

GA causes imagination nonaccomplishment slowly, and I’ve learned to accommodate complete nan years. But don’t get maine wrong, AMD tin beryllium aggravating. For example, I can’t spot my granddaughter’s facial expressions successful a play, moreover erstwhile I tin spot her connected stage. 

In immoderate ways, missing retired connected nan nuances of regular life is nan worst portion of this disease. But I person immoderate tips and tricks to tackle mundane tasks.  

How I Cook With Vision Loss

GA affects my cardinal vision. I whitethorn not beryllium capable to spot thing erstwhile I look straight astatine it. And cooking is usually clip sensitive, truthful it’s frustrating erstwhile I can’t find what I need. But I tin activity astir my blank spots successful nan kitchen.

I laic things retired successful nan bid I deliberation I’ll request them. That includes devices for illustration measuring spoons, cups, spatulas, woody spoons, tongs, aliases forks. And I do nan aforesaid for ingredients for illustration spices, vanilla extract, sugar, aliases flour. 

I besides effort to put everything backmost successful its original spot, which is easier said than done. I still misplace things if I'm not careful. For example, I whitethorn not beryllium capable to find a spatula aliases spoon if I request to operation thing quickly and hide to put nan utensil backmost successful its designated place.

My achromatic cutting committee is besides a large help. The acheronian boosts nan opposition betwixt ray vegetables for illustration onions aliases ail truthful I tin spot them better.

And I person a mini OttLite connected my room countertop. This type of task lamp boosts opposition and brightness without adding glare. The 1 I usage besides has a magnifier, which helps maine publication nan good people connected recipes, medicine bottles, prescriptions, receipts, and galore different things. 

Tips for Recognizing People

I tin make retired nan facial specifications of folks wrong talking distance. But things get a small cloudy erstwhile I effort to admit group who are farther than a fewer feet away. Some strategies thief maine fig retired who group are.

For example, my grandkids play sports. And I find that I tin show who they are if I cognize their jersey number since those are usually well-defined connected their uniform. But I wish I had earbuds to springiness maine a play-by-play. Because really galore times tin you ask: Was that my grandson that made nan basket?

And I do prime up connected assemblage connection a batch more. For instance, I tin typically show my boy isolated from nan different men successful his big shot convention based connected his movements alone. But immoderate societal situations still consciousness awkward.

Recently, I was astatine my oldest grandson’s black-tie wedding. It was a destination event, and everyone stayed astatine nan aforesaid hotel. I spotted a group of folks astir 20 feet from nan java station. I thought I’d met them nan nighttime before, but I couldn’t beryllium judge without getting a batch closer, which tin travel disconnected arsenic beautiful weird to strangers. 

What did I do? I avoided them.

I’m ever acrophobic group will deliberation I’m rude erstwhile I don’t admit them. And looking back, I astir apt could’ve walked complete and said hullo to nan table. But what if they weren’t from our wedding party? That’s nan benignant of point I’m still unsure really to handle.

How I Put connected Eye Makeup With GA

I wanted to deterioration oculus constitution for this black-tie wedding, thing I’d mostly fixed up connected because GA makes it difficult to spot good details. At first, I thought astir getting imperishable liner tattooed connected my eyelids aliases gluing successful eyelash extensions. But some of those options seemed risky for personification pinch an oculus disease. 

I realized I’d request to believe putting connected nan existent thing. 

Applying mascara wasn’t a problem. But nan first clip I tried to put liquid eyeliner on, I drew it higher than I meant to. I tried again. But this time, I opted for an eyeliner pencil, which is much forgiving. And I didn’t interest astir getting a consecutive statement down each astatine once. 

I couldn’t spot my lash statement but could consciousness it pinch my finger. As a result, I could get nan liner arsenic debased arsenic I wanted. Then I looked successful nan magnifying reflector and connected nan dots into a line. And I didn’t put nan liner crossed my full eyelid. I focused connected nan outer edges and my little lash line. 

A small eyeliner whitethorn not make a large quality successful my wide look, but nan subtle alteration is capable for me.

Getting From Place to Place

My correct oculus is 20/40, truthful I tin still drive. But I debar freeways and for illustration not to get down nan instrumentality astatine nighttime aliases successful nan rain. And I ever deterioration nan correct operation of corrective lenses. I typically don a brace of 3.0 magnifying readers complete my regular contacts.

Although I tin legally thrust anywhere, I consciousness safest erstwhile I enactment wrong nan 5-mile radius of my home. I person nary problems hopping successful nan car to spell to nan library, market store, aliases a neighbor's house. But I person to scheme for trips that return maine farther away, including to nan doctor's agency aliases immoderate shopping trips.

If I don’t want to thrust myself somewhere, I tin and person utilized rideshare services. But I for illustration getting astir municipality pinch my hubby of 60 years, and sometimes we make an day of it. We spell retired for lunch, aliases he brings thing to publication while he waits.

Let People Know About Your Sight Challenges

I precocious said I’m visually impaired for nan first time. It came up because my hubby and I were flying crossed nan country, and I’d someway downloaded nan incorrect boarding walk to my phone. The mobile type had my husband’s name, but I hadn’t noticed nan correction because of nan mini print.

They wouldn’t fto maine connected nan level without my ticket. 

I felt panicked erstwhile I looked down maine astatine nan agelong statement of group waiting to board. I didn’t want to fumble astir to find my glasses, and I didn’t cognize really to look for different boarding walk connected my phone. And so, I asked nan personification astatine nan table to people retired beingness copies of my tickets: 1 for that formation and different for a connecting flight.

But erstwhile I rushed backmost to nan gate, I couldn’t show which summons was for which flight. That’s erstwhile I said it! And erstwhile I fto nan attendant cognize astir my imagination impairment, she instantly became attentive and helpful. I was amazed astatine really accelerated she changed her cognition but felt reassured by nan experience.

Photo Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images

SOURCE:

Joan Kathryn, 79, diagnosed pinch geographic atrophy and bedewed age-related macular degeneration.