Caring For and Assisting a Loved One
with Macular Degeneration

Having a loved one find that they are diagnosed with macular degeneration can be a difficult thing to deal with for not only them, but for the rest of the family as well.

When a diagnosis such as this is introduced into your life it is important to realize that, though certainly tough to deal with, this condition only affects the vision of your loved one and millions of people are able to live full, happy and healthy lives without having the ability to see.

Learning more about the condition and learning how to prepare your home for your loved one will be your most important roles as a caregiver.

What Causes Macular Degeneration?

More than 10 million people in the US are diagnosed with macular degeneration. It is typically age related and is a progressive blindness in the eye.

What starts out, around the age of 60, as blurry vision will, over time, become total blindness. It is very important to remember that macular degeneration will not directly affect the mental or any other physical aspects of your loved one.

There is no known cause for macular degeneration and it could be genetic.

There are certainly some risk factors however that include:

• Being over the age of 60
• Having a family member with macular degeneration
• Being Caucasian and female
• Smoking cigarettes
• Being obese
• Having a diet that is low on raw fruits and vegetables
• Being diagnosed with high blood pressure
• Having high cholesterol

Certainly when you look at the risk factors, you may see one or more areas where your loved one fits in, however there are areas that can be corrected.

Some of these cannot be controlled, but others can, like smoking or a change of diet. There is evidence that stopping smoking when diagnosed can have a positive effect and may even allow your loved one to keep their vision longer.

When your loved one is diagnosed with macular degeneration, they likely already have some blurriness in their vision.

In short, this blurriness will progressively get worse as time goes on. Usually a person with macular degeneration will experience a loss of vision from the inside out.

This means that the center of their field of vision may become blurry first and the rest of the vision will follow as time goes by.

This will also happen when it comes to your loved one losing their sight. It will probably begin in the middle of their vision field and they may see nothing but darkness, however, they will still likely have some vision, albeit blurry vision, on the outer edges of their vision field. Over time, however, all vision may disappear.

Preparing Your Home for a Loved One with Macular Degeneration

As soon as you find out about a macular degeneration diagnosis, you probably will want to begin preparing your home. Depending on the room and the access your loved one has in your home, there are certain areas you may want to take care of more quickly than others.

• Lighting
  One of the most important things to do in the beginning is to make sure there is adequate lighting. Your loved one will probably still have some of their vision and when there is better lighting in a room, they will be able to see easier. Sunlight and natural lighting is the best, but this is not always possible.
• When it comes to lighting, another consideration you will need to keep in mind is glare. A person with normal vision often won’t be bothered by glare, but someone who is losing their vision may. This can be confusing and can even temporarily block the vision your loved one still has. Speak to them about area of the home that may have glare and make an effort to remedy the situation.
• Contrast
  Another important thing you will need to remember when preparing your home for a loved one with macular degeneration is contrast. This means the contrast of colors in the objects of your home. The deeper the contrast, the better your loved one will be able to see things when they have vision.

For instance, the greatest contrast is white on a black background. Anything you want to “stand out” to your loved one should be contrasted. For instance, if you want them to be able to find their own toothbrush in the bathroom, a bright color like red that is contrasted against white would be easier for them to see.

Other things you may want to contrast are door handles, baseboards, contrasting placemats at the dinner table, and make sure you have solid color floors if at all possible.

Room by Room Tips to help your Loved One

Here are a few tips for the main rooms of your home that may help your loved one:

Macular Degeneration Home Care

• Kitchen and Dining Area
  • – Try to use white plates on a dark table cloth
  • – Add fluorescent colored tape around drawers that your loved one uses often
  • – Wrap brightly colored electrical tape around cabinet handles and around pots and pans.
• Bathroom
  • – Use solid colored towels, wash cloths and bathmats. Try to get them in a contrasting color from the rest of the bathroom
  • – Use a brightly colored sponge that will float in the bathtub. This will allow your loved one to run their own bath without overflow.
  • – Install grab bars in the bathtub/shower as well as near the toilet
  • – Try to find a brightly colored toilet seat
• Bedroom
  • – Install a light control that will come on and go off with a clap
  • – Make sure there is as much light as possible, beginning with a light as soon as the door is opened.
  • – Use a bed caddy to hold things like eye glasses, medications or tissues
  • – As in the kitchen, use fluorescent tape to outline drawers, doors and other fixtures
• What Happens Next?
  Macular degeneration is a progressive disease, so the vision in your loved ones eyes will eventually disappear.

It is important to know that your loved one can live an extremely fulfilling life even after vision may have gone. In fact, many millions of people are blind in the world and they are able to take care of themselves extremely well.

Making sure you modify your loved ones surroundings as the disease progresses will be very important in ensuring safety and well-being.