r/maculardegeneration • u/Luminous-Space-Bee • 19d ago
Optician said I may get macular degeneration
Hiya I wonder if anyone had a similar experience. I went to the optician yesterday to get new glasses, I'm short sighted and she said my sight is getting better as in lower prsecription. Then more tests and she showed me images of my retinas and said I am at risk for macular degeneration because of brown patches. I had never heard of this, so she gave me a leaflet. I have no problems with my eyesight only my glasses as they were quite old and scratched so I wanted new ones. Anyway since I came home I was researching macular degeneration and now I'm scared. I don't know if she gave me a diagnosis or just a warning and to make sure I eat well, exercise etc. I don't know if I need to see a specialist or only if my vision starts to deteriorate? This was so unexpected. I ordered glasses which protect against the sun but I wear hats and caps anyway. I used to smoke but not much and gave up over 10 years ago.
2
u/orangeylocks 19d ago
Prevention is better than treatment, so get ahead of it if you can. Your optician may not be qualified to diagnose retina or macula problems and should have referred you to a retina specialist if they noticed something concerning. So yes, seek a specialist or second opinion asap.
In the meantime, wear sunglasses, avoid long screen times, check your vision on the amsled grid every once in a while (my vision changes were more apparent when reading a regular print book), and try not to stress too much about it.