No, you won't necessarily go blind. Try not to read all the junk posted on the internet. Everyone is different, and the disease progresses very differently in different people. I have wet macular degeneration in one eye and get regular shots for it which has it under control for the time being. I also take Preservision and Lutein.

My Dad has macular degeneration, he is declared blind but he can see somewhat. He had to quit driving, he can see enough to sign his name, not very good but..He finds it hard to recognize people's faces but his peripheral vision
is still pretty good. Sometimes he will think there is a tree or something in front of him when there is not.
Hope this helps, I wish you luck.

There's a recent thread on the KT in which we talked about taking bilberry to prevent macular degeneration, and perhaps treat an existing condition.

Good luck with yours.

We have a friend with wet on one eye and dry in the other. He has lost some vision in one eye, (not sure which one) and he goes for treatment every once in a while. He is in his late 50's. He was really concerned at first but they seem to have it under control and he is still driving etc. Do make sure you do your checks and see the the doctor if you notice anything has changed.
Good thoughts for keeping yours in control

My late MIL had wet MD in both eyes. She used a magnifier with light to read the newspaper. She never drove. So she managed . She was told by her doctor to take special vitamins, not sure what they were. She died of a heart attack in 2005, unrelated to her eyes.

My aunt has it, is in her 70's and still drives, ect. It is apparently well under control. I take her every Feb. for her eye appt, as she can't see after they dialate her eyes. (I can't either! They do mine and I am blind for the rest of the day, still bothers some the next day. I am very light sensitive). She is single, lives alone. Very independant, but is smart enough to stop driving when it becomes necessary.

On the other side, DH's cousins' MIL has the opposite and has lost everything but the sight directly in front of her. If you are not directly in front of her face, she can't see you.

Sending prayers for good sight for many years to come.

Tami

Thanks for all the information and good news! I was panicking,thinking I would be blind in a couple years.My passion is crocheting,I can't imagine not being able to read the patterns.My DA (yes that stands for Dumb A$$!) husband said" They probably make the patterns in Braille!DUH!!!I will go get some Bilberry...I read up on it and it sounds good.I want to preserve my sight as long as I can. I always had such good eyesight,this wearung glasses just to read something is annoying but I'm resigned to that as long as I can still read.
Off to the flea market to buy more yarn to crochet with!

I have a friend that has had this for many years and does extremely well. She quit driving at the tender age of 82, not because she couldn't see but because she said there were too many crazy drivers on the road and her car was stolen from her apartment building. She does take vitamin supplements of some kind but my mentalpause has forgotten what.

Chubby rat, I have the same thing you are describing. Looking at the grid to make sure the lines aren't wavy. I wore conract lens for about 47 years, I got an irritation on the iris so I went to the eye dr., have to wear glasses at least 6 months or more, maybe always. My eyes are dry, partly because of meds (diuretic) partly beacuse of climate (Colorado) probably partly because of age (63).
I take Icaps, Thera Tears gel caps, Lutein, use Thera Tears eye drops.
Glasses are not as good for vision as my contacts were, he needs me not wear them so they can check the curvature of the eyes, I have the beginnings of cataracts and might need surgery for them.
My mother (86) has macular degeneration but sees fine for now.
I also bought some humidifiers at the Drs. request, he said eye drops are not enough for my dry eyes.
I read about bilberry being good for eyes so I bought some of that too.

my fil does and gets some sort of shot(?) and my mother did as well, but she never had to give up driving (till she moved here and refused to)

My friend has MD. She has had the injections that her doctor said would not make it better, but would keep it from getting worse. She uses drops, I don't know what they are.

CR, I agree about not believing everything you read on the Web. I also would not take or use anything without first talking to my doctor.

I don't have MD, but am dealing with Glaucoma. Having a bunch of tests in a couple weeks to see how that is going.

Crochet, but don't over do it. Rest your eyes often to avoid strain.

Take care.

Sue

Denny old friend Tom (the one who used to come for movie and dinner night here) has that...

From what I understand it is the center of your vision that you have a problem with.

Also a friend at church who is in her late 70's has it. She says sometimes it bothers her more than other. She can still read at time and watch tv. Gets around and enjoys life. So I don't think it is always really bad. You might have to change some things.

It's just the pitts to get older...after 50 everything just started going down hill here.

I had a cousin that had it and she went to Hot Springs, Ark. to an acupuncterist that helped her. He had been on 60 Minutes or 20/20 and had a great following.

Chubby, you must feel so worried. I guess you had your eyes dilated and that's why it hurts to look at the computer screen.

I have the Amsler Grid to look at as well, but I'm a glaucoma "suspect" and also have a retinal tear, so I go in often for checkups to be sure things are stable and not getting worse.

I'm sorry for your troubles, but good for you for getting proper care and doing your research. Take care.

Susan

I've noticed lately that when I crochet a lot,my eyes are blurry even with my glasses on.I did a LOT of crocheting for Christmas,with the tiny thread not yarn.I will just do what my Dr. says and hope for the best.I just can't even imagine being near blind...can't even imagine....
Thanks everyone for the pep talks! Makes me feel much better!

My DH has this. He is no longer able to drive. He is diabetic and went through a period of denial - quit taking his meds, etc. He neglected his eyes and this is the result of that. Had they caught it sooner, he would be able to see better. For now, he gets injections in his eyes and laser eye surgery. He has had several of each since the first of last year. He uses magnifying glasses all the time. We just keep them laying around everywhere. His eyes are both better than when he was first diagnosed. They aren't promising anything, but as long as he keeps having small improvements and they continue the treatment, we are thankful. Bad thing is that we were planning to retire early, but now we can't. I have to continue to work to get health insurance until I am 65. I have a heart condition and he has diabetes and the eye problem. We are both uninsurable for all practical purposes. That is what hurts both of us. We worked so hard saving to retire and having enough to do a lot of traveling. Now - who knows.

But, you caught yours early, so you should be in good shape. Just be sure you go to the doctor often to have them checked.