More than 60,000 people in Ireland suffer from AMD, which accounts for 25 per cent of blind registrations. One in seven sufferers have the more destructive form of the disease, “wet” AMD.
Consultant Ophthalmologist Ms Marie Hickey-Dwyer addressed the AGM conference on AMD. There are promising new treatments for this genetic based disease, but “By the time we see patients with AMD, most of the damage is done, so we rely on people like you to get the message across.”
Ms Hickey-Dwyer chairs the Irish Ophthalmic Health Advisory Board. The Board is planning to conduct a study of the prevalence of blindness and poor sightedness. Currently, there is no accurate data regarding the prevalence of these problems, particularly “wet” AMD.
She also suggested that GP’s advise their poorly-sighted patients that there are supports for them, including a train pass for an accompanying person, home-help, a small pension supplement, free directory inquiry, and a small tax allowance.
