Macular Degeneration can be Conquered Through Peripheral Vision

Macular degeneration can be conquered by using peripheral vision, says the Macular Disease Society of the UK.

The age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a degenerative disease of the macula, a small area at the centre of the retina. The overgrowth of blood vessels into the retina can lead to central vision loss, preventing sufferers from seeing fine details. It can also lead to blindness.

But those affected can be taught to read and see faces again using the undamaged parts of their eyes, it looks like. 

The Macular Disease Society says it has developed a training scheme and is calling for professionals to adopt the system across the UK.

People with macular degeneration rarely go totally blind but even those with a relatively mild version of the disease cannot drive and have difficulty reading, recognising faces and watching television.

But studies show people can be taught to use their peripheral vision to fill in the gaps, using "eccentric viewing" and "steady eye techniques".

When someone with central vision loss looks directly at an object it may disappear, go faint, blur or distort. But when they look above, below or to one side of it, they see it more clearly.

Advertisement

Eccentric viewing helps people find exactly where to focus their gaze to make their vision better.

Once this position is identified, they can be taught how to read again using the steady eye technique.

Advertisement

Instead of moving the eyes from left to right to read a sentence, the person should keep their eyes completely still and move the text to the left so that each word in turn moves into the area of best vision.

Macular Disease Society chief executive Tom Bremridge said: "Eccentric viewing works by making the most of vision that remains.

"Our scheme has transformed lives - helping people to relearn basic skills they thought to have lost for good.

"We have 86 volunteer trainers, all with central vision loss themselves, who have trained more than 310 people in their own communities, and our waiting list of nearly 1,200 people grows every day.

"We are keen that other service providers - social services, private practitioners and primary care trusts - now take up the baton."

Mr Winfried Amoaku, of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, said eccentric viewing could help some patients with central vision loss "cope with everyday tasks such as identifying coins while out shopping, watching television and reading".

"The trouble is, we don't know who will benefit until they have tried the training.

"All UK patients with central vision loss should have the opportunity to try eccentric viewing techniques to see if they can benefit," he said.

Marek Karas, of the Royal National Institute of Blind People, also supported the research advances.

"Although there is still ongoing discussion among experts over the best form of training for this type of therapy, we welcome with interest these latest developments."

Between 25 and 30 million people worldwide have macular degeneration. But as the population ages, this figure will rise.

It is estimated that the number of people affected will triple by 2025, BBC reported.

Source-Medindia
GPL/L