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© 2007 - 2008 MACULAR DEGENERATION SOCIETY
Inspirational Stories
bathroom mirror would fog up even when he wasn't taking a shower.
"I couldn't even see the features on my own face in it," said the 60-
year-old driver.
The first sign of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the
blurring of vision that makes straight lines appear slightly distorted or
warped. Some see a blurred spot in the middle of what they are
looking at.
As he is a diabetic, Mr Ismail went to the nearest polyclinic
immediately. "I think the doctor suspected I had diabetes
retinopathy. I was referred to Alexandra Hospital," he said. After a
battery of tests, Mr Ismail was diagnosed with AMD in his left eye –
a couple of months after he first thought the mirror was fogging up.
"My left eye was blurred in the centre. I saw fuzzy sides and it kept
watering. I looked like I was crying all the time," he said. It was also
advanced, wet AMD.
According to Associate Professor Au Eong Kah Guan, an eye
specialist and head of ophthalmology and visual science at Alexandra
Hospital, the condition occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind
the retina start to grow under the macula, often leaking blood and
fluid. The blood and fluid push the macula from its normal place at
the centre of the back of the eye, damaging it rapidly. The disease
gradually destroys sharp, central vision, which is needed for seeing
objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and
driving. "With wet AMD, the loss of central vision can happen very
quickly," he said.
Although AMD causes no pain, "I would tear all the time, which was
very inconvenient", Mr Ismail said. The father of two and
grandfather of two did not want to lose his job as a driver for a
regional research centre here. "I was not just worried. I was scared.
Scared to lose my job, scared that I would have an accident. I didn't
tell anyone about my condition, except my wife," he said. His wife
decided she would sit beside him every time he drove. "She would
read the road signs for me and tell me where the turn was. As the
AMD affected my left eye, reading signs on the left was difficult," he
said.
Mr Ismail was fortunate to receive a trial of a United States Food
and Drug Administration-approved drug for wet AMD. Made from
human antibody fragments, it prevents the formation of new blood
vessels under the retina. The drug, which contains ranibizumab, is
injected into the affected eye once a month.After six jabs, Mr
Ismail's vision improved. "Sometimes I even read without my glasses
on," he said, laughing. He continues driving – this time without his
wife beside him to navigate. Mr Ismail has to continue the treatment
for now and hopes that his condition will not deteriorate.
The Straits Times (May 30, 2007)
Mind Your Body health supplement
Helps others like her
By: JUDITH TAN
Reading was everything to sociologist
and scholar Sharon Siddique, 60 – until
her eyesight deteriorated. "I've suffered
high myopia since I was a little girl and
this developed into myopic macular
degeneration (MMD) as I grew older,"
she said. A high-degree myopia is 6.0
dioptre and higher. A dioptre is a
measurement of the focusing power of a lens.
"My eyeballs are elongated and they put pressure on the retina. My
degree was closer to the maximum – 10 dioptre," Dr Siddique said.
As a child, she would think nothing of it, she said. "When your
eyesight got worse, you would just fix it with a change in your eye
glasses. With high myopia, it gets worse with age and it can't even be
helped with corrective lenses," she added. It got progressively worse
in a span of 30 years, slowly developing into MMD, "but it stabilised
so I was able to lead a normal life", she said.
It took a turn for the worse about five years ago when she suffered
from retinal detachment. This is when the retina is separated from
the back of the eyeball, resulting in the loss of vision. Dr Siddique,
who is married with children, said the debilitating disease can be
terribly depressing. "I guess I was lucky as I have a very supportive
family. That got me thinking about giving the same support to people
who are in the same predicament," she said.
Together with like-minded friends, she set up the Macular
Degeneration Society. She is the group's secretary. "Each person
who suffers from low vision does so alone – trying to understand
and overcome the condition. The society will help create awareness
about the type of rehabilitation available," she said.
Dr Siddique also researched the technologies which could assist her
condition. She equipped herself with the essential vision aids she
needs."When reading becomes difficult, I would increase the size of
the print. There is a range of tools to use and they include
magnifying glasses, binoculars, and even CCTV reading systems,"
she said. "I try not to let my condition rob me of my life."
"I couldn't even see the features on my own face in it," said the 60-
year-old driver.
The first sign of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the
blurring of vision that makes straight lines appear slightly distorted or
warped. Some see a blurred spot in the middle of what they are
looking at.
As he is a diabetic, Mr Ismail went to the nearest polyclinic
immediately. "I think the doctor suspected I had diabetes
retinopathy. I was referred to Alexandra Hospital," he said. After a
battery of tests, Mr Ismail was diagnosed with AMD in his left eye –
a couple of months after he first thought the mirror was fogging up.
"My left eye was blurred in the centre. I saw fuzzy sides and it kept
watering. I looked like I was crying all the time," he said. It was also
advanced, wet AMD.
According to Associate Professor Au Eong Kah Guan, an eye
specialist and head of ophthalmology and visual science at Alexandra
Hospital, the condition occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind
the retina start to grow under the macula, often leaking blood and
fluid. The blood and fluid push the macula from its normal place at
the centre of the back of the eye, damaging it rapidly. The disease
gradually destroys sharp, central vision, which is needed for seeing
objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading and
driving. "With wet AMD, the loss of central vision can happen very
quickly," he said.
Although AMD causes no pain, "I would tear all the time, which was
very inconvenient", Mr Ismail said. The father of two and
grandfather of two did not want to lose his job as a driver for a
regional research centre here. "I was not just worried. I was scared.
Scared to lose my job, scared that I would have an accident. I didn't
tell anyone about my condition, except my wife," he said. His wife
decided she would sit beside him every time he drove. "She would
read the road signs for me and tell me where the turn was. As the
AMD affected my left eye, reading signs on the left was difficult," he
said.
Mr Ismail was fortunate to receive a trial of a United States Food
and Drug Administration-approved drug for wet AMD. Made from
human antibody fragments, it prevents the formation of new blood
vessels under the retina. The drug, which contains ranibizumab, is
injected into the affected eye once a month.After six jabs, Mr
Ismail's vision improved. "Sometimes I even read without my glasses
on," he said, laughing. He continues driving – this time without his
wife beside him to navigate. Mr Ismail has to continue the treatment
for now and hopes that his condition will not deteriorate.
The Straits Times (May 30, 2007)
Mind Your Body health supplement
Helps others like her
By: JUDITH TAN
Reading was everything to sociologist
and scholar Sharon Siddique, 60 – until
her eyesight deteriorated. "I've suffered
high myopia since I was a little girl and
this developed into myopic macular
degeneration (MMD) as I grew older,"
she said. A high-degree myopia is 6.0
dioptre and higher. A dioptre is a
measurement of the focusing power of a lens.
"My eyeballs are elongated and they put pressure on the retina. My
degree was closer to the maximum – 10 dioptre," Dr Siddique said.
As a child, she would think nothing of it, she said. "When your
eyesight got worse, you would just fix it with a change in your eye
glasses. With high myopia, it gets worse with age and it can't even be
helped with corrective lenses," she added. It got progressively worse
in a span of 30 years, slowly developing into MMD, "but it stabilised
so I was able to lead a normal life", she said.
It took a turn for the worse about five years ago when she suffered
from retinal detachment. This is when the retina is separated from
the back of the eyeball, resulting in the loss of vision. Dr Siddique,
who is married with children, said the debilitating disease can be
terribly depressing. "I guess I was lucky as I have a very supportive
family. That got me thinking about giving the same support to people
who are in the same predicament," she said.
Together with like-minded friends, she set up the Macular
Degeneration Society. She is the group's secretary. "Each person
who suffers from low vision does so alone – trying to understand
and overcome the condition. The society will help create awareness
about the type of rehabilitation available," she said.
Dr Siddique also researched the technologies which could assist her
condition. She equipped herself with the essential vision aids she
needs."When reading becomes difficult, I would increase the size of
the print. There is a range of tools to use and they include
magnifying glasses, binoculars, and even CCTV reading systems,"
she said. "I try not to let my condition rob me of my life."
| MACULAR DEGENERATION SOCIETY SINGAPORE 黄斑退化症协会 |
The Straits Times (May 30, 2007)
Mind Your Body
health supplement
New drug spells hope for him
By: JUDITH TAN
Something strange started happening
to Mr Ismail Daud back in 2001. His
Mind Your Body
health supplement
New drug spells hope for him
By: JUDITH TAN
Something strange started happening
to Mr Ismail Daud back in 2001. His
