Wet AMD & Blindness
Does Wet Macular Degeneration Make You Go Blind?
Lately you may have heard commercials sponsored by Genentech during the Charles Osgood spot on CBS radio talking about wet age-related macular degeneration or AMD. The ad claims that Wet AMD is "the leading cause of blindness" in our country and goes on to recommend you see your eye doctor and then see a retinal specialist if you are at risk for this condition.
In our office we spend a significant amount of time counseling people as to the likely visual outcomes from many eye diseases and conditions including wet AMD and I can assure all of you that wet AMD does NOT cause blindness as implied in these ads. Wet AMD does cause a very significant loss of central vision or "detail-seeing " vision and this loss cannot be helped by conventional glasses or contact lenses. However, it does not by itself cause the eye to become totally blind EVER.
The problem here is that the loss of central vision with AMD as well as other problems can classify a person as "legally" blind but this is not the same as being totally blind. A legally blind person still sees and can still walk around even if they do not see faces or signs or fine print. Wet AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in this country but as stated already you do not go totally blind from wet AMD ever.
By the way Genentech does make a great (and very expensive) injectable drug that is used to treat wet AMD and which can delay or eliminate vision loss in many cases but that does not give them the right to imply that people are at risk for a more devastating vision loss as we believe their ad does. Many people with AMD fear that their vision will continue to deteriorate until it is completely snuffed out. We work hard in the office to tell people the truth about their likely vision loss and calm their fears of going totally blind. I'm ashamed of Charles Osgood for running this ad that panders to the natural fear we all experience about blindness and hope it will not cause people with wet AMD to panic.
Hope that's "clear" enough for you!
In our office we spend a significant amount of time counseling people as to the likely visual outcomes from many eye diseases and conditions including wet AMD and I can assure all of you that wet AMD does NOT cause blindness as implied in these ads. Wet AMD does cause a very significant loss of central vision or "detail-seeing " vision and this loss cannot be helped by conventional glasses or contact lenses. However, it does not by itself cause the eye to become totally blind EVER.
The problem here is that the loss of central vision with AMD as well as other problems can classify a person as "legally" blind but this is not the same as being totally blind. A legally blind person still sees and can still walk around even if they do not see faces or signs or fine print. Wet AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in this country but as stated already you do not go totally blind from wet AMD ever.
By the way Genentech does make a great (and very expensive) injectable drug that is used to treat wet AMD and which can delay or eliminate vision loss in many cases but that does not give them the right to imply that people are at risk for a more devastating vision loss as we believe their ad does. Many people with AMD fear that their vision will continue to deteriorate until it is completely snuffed out. We work hard in the office to tell people the truth about their likely vision loss and calm their fears of going totally blind. I'm ashamed of Charles Osgood for running this ad that panders to the natural fear we all experience about blindness and hope it will not cause people with wet AMD to panic.
Hope that's "clear" enough for you!