Friday, March 26, 2010

Macular drusen

I'm hoping this condition sounds worse than it actually is.
A retina specialist diagnosed me with it last week. It was scary to hear, but my vision with my glasses is 20/20 and I have no pain so I'm doing OK.

According to one description I found online, "drusen are small yellow or off-white deposits that form either in the tissue layer underneath the retina or on the optic nerve head. Though the exact cause of macular drusen is still unknown, their appearance near the macula is one of the most common signs of macular degeneration development."

The ophthalmologist said I should take vitamins that contain lutein, get cardiovascular exercise to improve circulation, and always wear sunglasses when I'm outside. He said I don't have macular degeneration, but I'm at risk of developing it in the future. Way in the future, I hope.

I've since read that eating foods rich in antioxidants (such as broccoli, spinach, kale, tomatoes, berries, cherries, grapes, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi fruit and more) is important for good eye health as well.
OK, I can do that.
Not sure if pizza counts. ;-) The red sauce is made from tomatoes, after all ...

Smoking can exacerbate the condition. Fortunately I've never smoked.

I wasn't going to write about this, but not writing about something here that is important to me is not being true to myself, so I decided to go for it.

After I wrote the above this afternoon I took a brisk walk (cardiovascular exercise, no?) and snapped this picture of the "afternoon moon."

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I plan to do just that.

8 comments:

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

first i love your moon shot! i never have been able to get a good one. now that i have a new camera i should try again i guess.

next i could ask my online do-it-yourself medical degree teacher about your eyes if you want. i have chopsticks!

smiles, bee
xoxoxooxoxoxox

Patti said...

Bee: oooh, would you ask him/her for me? That would be helpful.

Calico Crazy said...

The afternoon moon was big and clear today, I'm glad someone caught a picture.

The pile in my photo was made up of pea sized gravel. They also had a pile of sand, a pile of mid-sized rocks, and a pile of crushed rock. We were standing on a large pile of larger rocks searching for fossils and agate when I took the shot.

Take care of yourself and your eyes, there is nothing like being informed.

Anonymous said...

I love afternoon moons!

Just like Popeye, eat yer spinach! It's supposed to be THE best vegetable for eye health, despite all I've ever heard about carrots!

Eden said...

Hi Patti,

Beautiful afternoon moon. Looks like it was a beautiful day.

Have a great weekend too.

Linda said...

I saw the afternoon moon yesterday up in Massachusetts and debated taking a picture but then didn't for some reason even though I had my camera in my hands. Perhaps I was sick??

I'm glad you posted about your eye condition, it made me think more about my own eyes and the fact that I eat basically none of those foods that are good for eye health. I think I may need to start! And I do like spinach!

happily retired gal said...

Wonderful moon capture ;-)
I'm sorry to learn of your eye challenges as I have a friends with a similar condition, but she's doing well with some changes in her life and some medical treatments too. Hope you'll be find as well.
Hugs and blessings,

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