0:06 Narrator: About 6 years ago things began to look distorted on tv for Norah. And it got progressively worse.
0:13 Norah: My reading was all shot to pieces, it would be there for a little while, be gone, big holes in it. So I started to get really scared about an income and about my lifestyle and how I could support the kids, etcetera. So I went to see the specialist.
0:30 Narrator: Doctors told Norah that she had macular degeneration. Studies underway suggest that damage to the yellow pigment layer of the macula, caused primarily by exposure to blue light in everyday life leads to damage to the rods & cones and eventual blindness. Research at the Waterford Institute of Technology in Ireland is studying a nutritional supplement that has shown remarkable success in increasing the protective yellow macular pigment.
1:01 Norah: I did take it every single day and about 3, maybe 6 months later it began to dawn on me that the wavy lines were gone, reading was much easier, a lot of the problems were going away. And its so much more improved that...I'm happy.
1:21 John Nolan: We can measure how an individual responds to these supplements at the retina very quickly. We can measure how their vision changes and improves because of taking these supplements and we've also seen now that individuals at increased risk of progressing have halted the disease. Norah is now back driving and is now back visiting her loved ones. She so much appreciates her vision and when you see people like Norah having this taken away from them and then restored then you can get a concept of the importance that these nutritional supplements been for Norah.
1:53 Norah: I value my independence and I have it back now. Hopefully it will last.
Dr John Nolan, PhD, Fulbright Scholar
Waterford Institute of Technology
Macular Degeneration Research Group
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American Macular Degeneration Foundation
P.O. Box 515
Northampton, Massachusetts 01061-0515
413.268.7660
1.888.MACULAR (1.888.622.8527)
Welcome to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation where you can learn about this disease, find valuable resources and help conquer macular degeneration.
Founded on June 1, 1996
Few people are aware that macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and that it is the leading cause of vision loss for those aged 55 and older in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans.
Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina's central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.
As people age, their chances for developing eye diseases increase dramatically. Unfortunately, the specific factors that cause macular degeneration are not conclusively known and research into this little-understood disease is limited by insufficient funding.
The American Macular Degeneration Foundation is committed to the prevention and cure of macular degeneration and offers hope and support to those afflicted and their families. The Foundation is a voice in establishing the national research agenda for macular degeneration through promoting an alliance among the scientific community, government, and victims of the disease and their families to ensure the prevention and cure of the disease.
The AMDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, publicly supported organization.
There are two basic types of macular degeneration: "dry" and "wet." Approximately 85% to 90% of the cases of macular degeneration are the "dry" (atrophic) type. Approximately 10-15% of the cases of macular degeneration are the "wet" (exudative) type.
The AMDF Web site offers many tools to help you better understand and cope with macular degeneration. We encourage you to visit our website, and contact us.
Mission: The American Macular Degeneration Foundation works for the prevention, treatment, and cure of macular degeneration through raising funds, educating the public and supporting scientific research.
