“I’m convinced there will be a potential cure in the future”

Alan thought he just needed a new pair of glasses after he noticed something different about his vision while he was driving. He kept blinking thinking it would go away, but soon learnt this was something he would have to live with as he was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  

He has now signed up to take part in research, in the hope that there will be a cure in his future.

“I noticed when I was driving that my vision wasn’t what it should be,” he said. “I kept on blinking a lot to try and clear whatever it was in my eyes.”

Even with his driving glasses on, the blur didn’t go away and it was then his wife suggested he booked an eye test. At the optician he was quickly referred to the hospital.

“I remember quite distinctively that she said, ‘There is an issue which I think you should go to the hospital eye clinic to have assessed.’ I think she knew right away what it was.”

After a series of tests, doctors confirmed Alan had AMD in his left eye at the age of 64.

Weight of a diagnosis 

“If I’m honest, I didn’t quite understand or grasp what it was,” he said. I just thought, ‘it’ll be just one of those things, I’ll be all right.’”

It was only later when he got home and started reading about the condition, that the weight of the diagnosis became clear.

“The more I did look into it, I thought, ‘Oh dear… there’s no cure.’ So this is something that you’ve now got for the rest of your life unless there is a cure that miraculously gets identified.”

After moving from Salisbury to Nottingham shortly after receiving the news, Alan’s consultant told him his condition was worsening and he would need injections in his eye to help slow the progression of the condition.

“I was terrified,” he said. “I’d never seen anybody have it, I’d never experienced it before,” he said. “It wasn’t explained, it was just, ‘You’re going to have an injection’.”

Coping with injections 

Although the thought was overwhelming Alan thought of his late-mother who not only had AMD but also underwent treatment for cancer.

“If Mum could put up with what she had to put up with, then having an eye injection was nothing compared to that,” he said. “It puts it in perspective.”

He has now had more than 36 injections: “Since the first one, the others have been okay. I just lie there, let them put the injection in, and I’m off and out.”

One of the biggest changes for Alan has been reducing his driving. Although his sight still meets the required standard, he will only drive to his local shop.

“The thought that if I had an accident or ran over a cyclist or a child because I didn’t see them properly, that terrifies me,” he said. “So other than going to the supermarket, my wife does most of the driving.

“It has been an adjustment. It restricts you. It would be nice to just get in the car and go somewhere, but I can’t. I just can’t do it.”

Maintaining a positive outlook

Despite his deteriorating sight, Alan remains positive.

“If this is what I’ve got, then get over it, get on with it, and make the most of life,” he said. “I accept I’ve got it, and I’m not going to lose sleep over it.”

Family, football and hope

Now 72, he is a regular at his local football club, where he attends matches with his wife, son and 15-year-old grandson.

“When the ball is down the other end, I do struggle to see it,” he said. “But it’s just nice to be there, in the atmosphere. And my grandson sometimes tells me what’s going on.”

Staying active is also important to him as a former footballer, referee and youth coach. He now walks his rescue dogs every day in the country park near his home.

He is keen to support research into AMD. After attending an open evening at his eye clinic, he joined the Macular Society, signed up to clinical trial databases and is currently taking part in a research study.

“It gives me hope,” he said. “I’m convinced there will be a potential cure in the future. Whether it’s in my lifetime, I don’t know. But if I can help future generations, I’m more than happy to do it.”