Vera wearing a blue jumper standing in her garden

“I noticed when new people joined, they would come with so much fear in their eyes”

Posted: Wednesday 1 February 2023

Vera became a Macular Society group leader a few years after her late husband Peter was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

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Denise Lewis smiling at camera

"It's only now that I have seen the impact macular disease has on people"

Posted: Friday 20 January 2023

A retired ophthalmic nurse said it wasn’t until she began to volunteer with her local support group that she realised the true impact of macular disease and the impact it has on many people’s lives.

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Margaret Hughes smiling in living room, reading on sofa

“I didn’t know how many people were like me”

Posted: Wednesday 21 December 2022

Like many others who are diagnosed with macular disease, Margaret had no idea what the condition was and how many others were affected but, after experiencing the fear and isolation of her condition first hand, the 79-year-old wanted to help others in need of support.

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Polly smiling

“You’ve never lived until you’ve seen a floating crocodile”

Posted: Wednesday 16 November 2022

From a reptile gliding overhead to being offered beer by a woman dressed in lederhosen, Polly has seen her fair share of weird, wonderful and sometimes frightening things, from the comfort of her bedroom.

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Christina Ellis (Headshot)

“A befriender can help in so many ways”

Posted: Tuesday 1 November 2022

“I knew the impact that macular degeneration could have on people. I think the biggest sadness was that I was given that diagnosis, and then left without any real support, any information. So, from that day on, I decided I was going to make people aware of macular degeneration."

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Jessica Smiling

“Everyone wants to be special, but medically special is the one kind of special no one wants to be”

Posted: Monday 31 October 2022

At first it was just things like not being able to read the TV guide, or struggling with text messages on my phone. I couldn’t see the bus numbers until the bus was almost on top of me. I would look at people walking down the street and think they were strange looking, until the next person looked the same. I’m a working mum and thought I was probably just tired."

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Peter Jones with Meryl Streep

"We want people to carry on doing what they love"

Posted: Tuesday 18 October 2022

From Meryl Streep to Mo Farah, drawing celebrity portraits has long been a passion of Macular Society group member Peter, who says living with a macular condition doesn’t have to mean giving up something you love.

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Dave looking at camera

"How I overcame my fear of needles after my diagnosis"

Posted: Saturday 1 October 2022

With a lifelong fear of needles, 72-year-old Dave was understandably anxious and scared when he was diagnosed with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and told he needed regular injections in his eye.

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Sandra Orlando Park Run - smiling at camera

Charity runner completes 874-mile Land's End to John O'Groats challenge

Posted: Friday 16 September 2022

A runner has spoken of her “immense gratitude” after completing the 874-mile Land’s End to John O’Groats challenge, from home.

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Karen Sault headshot

Sight loss 'brushed to one side' at work before counselling

Posted: Wednesday 31 August 2022

A new employment counselling group provided a nursery worker with the confidence to take control of her macular condition at work after initially describing her ‘put up and shut up’ attitude.

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Gareth portrait

"It could be life-changing for so many people"

Posted: Wednesday 3 August 2022

A 75-year-old man involved in a clinical trial for a new implant for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) says it would be ‘magic’ if the trial is successful.

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Portrait

‘I was downhearted but Skills for Seeing lifted me’

Posted: Friday 1 July 2022

A volunteer trainer has shared his experience of the Skills for Seeing service, which offers one-to-one advice to help people make the best use of their remaining vision.

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