Sheila's Story

Sheila Saunders was diagnosed with dry AMD in February 2021 and is involved with The Macular Society's Edinburgh Main Group.

How were you diagnosed with AMD? 

I was diagnosed with dry AMD when I went to my optometrist in February 2021. They had offered me an additional retinal scan (OCT) which I accepted immediately, because my late husband had AMD and had been part of research trials into the early treatments for wet AMD down at King’s College Hospital in London, and so I was already aware of the condition and the importance of monitoring eye health. 

I have very early onset dry AMD which my optometrist showed me on the images he had taken of the back of my eyes. The images didn’t mean much to me as I’m not trained to look at scans, but my optometrist assured me that it was at a very early stage. 

What did you experience following diagnosis? 

When I went back for my annual check-up earlier this year, they did the retinal scan (OCT) again and they provided me with an information booklet about AMD. I was already involved with The Macular Society in Edinburgh and following my husband’s experience with wet AMD I had gained some knowledge already, but it was great to receive this booklet which was very informative. 

How has AMD impacted your life? 

As my dry AMD has been diagnosed at such an early stage, my vision is not affected at all at the moment. The information booklet I was given recommended that I self-test my vision at home to check for any distortion, and this means that I can monitor my condition myself in between appointments with my optometrist. So far, I’m not getting any distortion at all, which shows how early my AMD has been detected. 

Why do you think early diagnosis of AMD is important? 

I think early diagnosis is absolutely vital. Through my involvement with The Macular Society, I have met many people with dry AMD and some people have been told when they were diagnosed with dry AMD that “nothing can be done about it”. I think this is very stark and very unfair. 

A major concern I have is that a lot of people don’t know about AMD or other similar forms of sight loss. It’s really concerning, as I have spoken to many neighbours and friends and so many people don’t even know AMD exists. One of the things that the Edinburgh Main Group at The Macular Society that I am involved with is working on is trying to provide leaflets and information to help give more information about AMD. We hope that this can help to generally raise awareness about the condition, but also provide detailed information for people who have been newly-diagnosed with AMD to help them come to terms with their diagnosis and learn how they can manage going forward.