JACKSONVILLE, Fla — It’s the little things like seeing the blue sky or playing a great round of golf that wouldn’t be the same without your vision. The most common reason for blindness in people over 50 can go untreated without knowing the symptoms.
An annual visit at the eye doctor could help you keep your eyesight as you age, but knowing the symptoms to look out for is key.
If lines begin to look wavy or distorted, you should get checked for macular degeneration.
“It’s such a beautiful day today and so much fun that I can come outside. I can see all the greenery," says Susan Quinn. It's simple things.
“I started playing golf a little over a year ago again," she says.
She has a vision to continue golfing and hanging out in the Florida sun, a vision that was on its way to going dark.
“It was very hard because I thought, ‘What is my future? Am I going to lose my vision?'" Quinn said, speaking about when she found out she has macular degeneration.
“It was June/July four years ago. I was looking at the grid, and I thought something was going on here," she said.
She started noticing changes in her eyesight. Straight lines began looking wavy.
“They’ll notice things like blurry vision," says ophthalmologist Dr. McGregor Lott. "They’ll notice distortion in vision in some cases, so for instance, straight lines look crooked. Occasionally they’ll notice a dark spot near the center or grey spots."
Lott says to pay attention to these symptoms, because macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the United States over 65.
Every month, Quinn comes to the Florida Eye Specialists for treatment. She gets an injection in both of her eyes.
It’s what is keeping her sight intact.
“It’s great, because I can see and I can still do things, and it’s wonderful," Quinn said.
There’s no cure for macular degeneration, but there are different treatment options that can prevent you from losing your vision altogether.
Lott says there are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Quinn has wet.
For dry versions, which are most common, Lott says it can be treated with supplements and more greens in your diet. The symptoms are the same, though.
If you have family history of macular degeneration, you are more at risk.
There is also a grid you can look at to test out the classic symptoms of this disease.
“There’s a grid called an Amsler grid that you can look at that. If there is a dot in the center of it, there’s a grid and if you start to see wavy lines on that then there is definitely an issue," Quinn said.
Hold it about 14 inches away from you and test one eye at a time. If you see those wavy lines she’s talking about or other irregularities, see your eye doctor.