A new national campaign is calling on the Irish public to continue with their scheduled eye care appointments and to visit their eye care specialist if they experience any blurriness, distortion or changes in vision which may be symptoms of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Supported by the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO), the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI), the National Council for the Blind (NCBI), Fighting Blindness and Novartis, #wewillseeyou aims to encourage people not to put their eye health at risk by postponing, or not turning up for their appointments with their eye care specialist due to the Covid-19 pandemic environment.
What is AMD?
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the number one cause of sight loss in Ireland for those aged over 501 with the condition affecting over 100 000 people on the island2. Symptoms, including blurred vision, distortion, and dark spots, often go unrecognised or ignored in the early stages of the condition. However, with regular eye tests problems can be detected and treated more rapidly.
AMD can often develop into Wet AMD, which is a further degeneration of the condition caused by abnormal blood vessels inside the eye which leak and lead to rapid loss of vision3. Wet AMD can develop very suddenly but can be treated if caught and referred immediately to an eye care specialist. Visit www.amd.ie for more information, and to take the AMD Amsler grid test to check for signs of AMD.