WHAT IS ARMD
What is ARMD? The macular is a small part of the retina. About 5mm in diameter. It’s the part of the eye that enables you to focus. Like the rest of the body its made up of cells. Millions of them, so small you cant identify one on its own. If you have ARMD it simply means that the cells in the macular start to die. The speed varies from person to person and can also vary with time. In most affected people the process starts off slowly and then speeds up. In reality I think the rate the cells die stays constant but the change in vision becomes faster as the disease progresses. There are variations like “dry ARMD”, “wet ARMD” and aggressive.
About 140 million people suffer from ARMD, which is about 1.7% of world population.
WILL IT KILL YOU – No, except if you step off the pavement in front of the NO 7 bus.
IS THERE A CURE – Not yet viable stem cell treatment.
The challenge is that because its not life threatening and affects older people not much research is being done. At the end of the day it’s all about the money. Much more profitable to supply Covid-19 meds or chemo therapy meds.
There’s light at the end of the tunnel, or a lighthouse near rocky coastlines. You are not likely to go completely blind, you are just unable to focus..
The Dangerpoint Lighthouse model I built in 2013. Has lights in the tower and in the lighthouse keepers house. Ten years later it still works and stands in my daughter’s lounge. I also painted it in 2016
