Sensing The Symptoms

A common cold starts out with common symptoms such as a runny nose, a sore throat, and possibly a cough.  It’s when I get these kinds of symptoms I know to increase fluids, rest, and take medicine as needed.  These are common symptoms most of us know and can take care of as needed to get healthy. 

Not all symptoms for another common disease are easily noticed or taken care of: that disease is age related macular degeneration (AMD).  AMD is a low vision disease that affects older American’s and according to Allaboutvision.com and Indiana eye doctors like Dr. Tavel, is the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65.

Symptoms for this sight robbing disease can vary but can be any of the following according to GetEyeSmart.com:  blurry distance and/or reading vision, need for bright light to see up close, colors are less vivid or bright, hazy vision, difficulty seeing with light changes like from dim light to bright light, trouble or inability to recognize people’s faces, blank or blurry spot in your central vision.

These are symptoms that don’t all happen simultaneously like a cold’s often do and symptoms can be permanent truly damaging sight.  Often times AMD may only occur in one eye so that the other eye compensates for the affected eye making symptoms less pronounced.  This can prolong diagnosis or treatment.  Sensing the symptoms for AMD is important for older adults to do and talk about with their Indianapolis eye doctor as sight could be preserved!  Yearly eye examinations for adults by Indiana optometrists like Dr. Tavel and his board certified associates can sense the symptoms of AMD and protect vision.

February and thus Low Vision/AMD Awareness month may be ending but the messages about protecting our eye sight should not.  Sense the symptoms for AMD and save your sight!  Visit Dr. Tavel today!