“Imagine your eye’s like a camera,” Newlands said. “The macular’s kind of the film of the camera. It’s the central part of your retina that’s responsible for colour vision and detailed vision.
“Essentially, macular degeneration is age-degenerative changes of the macular, which means that central part of your retina doesn’t function so well.
“Depending on severity, that can get worse and worse.”
The dry form develops slowly over time, while the wet form happens more quickly and is more immediately serious, often requiring specialist treatment.
Common signs of the dry form are:
- Gradually blurrier central vision
- Needing brighter light for reading
- Colours seem less vivid
- Trouble recognising faces from a distance
- Slower adjustment when moving from bright to dim settings
Common signs of the wet form are:
- Sudden worsening of central vision
- Straight lines appearing bent or wavy
- A dark or blank patch near the centre of vision
- Rapid change in clarity in one eye
It was important to get regular vision checks, Newlands said.
“If we’re specifically talking about macular degeneration or just vision in general, if people do have symptoms they’re not sure about, it’s worth getting it checked out.”
He recommended going to a community optometrist “because they have really good equipment and they can often diagnose and manage things themselves”.
He noted that optometrists charged, but financial help was available through government agencies.
“Obviously, people can go through GPs and ED [an emergency department] as well, but we’re a little bit restricted in Gisborne with access. I’m currently the only ophthalmologist here, so I’m only on call once a week and one weekend a month.
“The rest of the time, they have to call Waikato for advice. The optometrists here are very good because they practise quite independently as well. And there’s three in town.”
Those keen on attending the seminar are asked to register online at www.mdnz.org.nz/public-seminars, email info@mdnz.org.nz or phone 0800622852.
