The program will be held from 9 to 11 a.m., Monday, October 23 in the Mary Greeley Medical Center Auditorium. The Low Vision Support Group is a cooperative effort of the MGMC Auxiliary, Prime Time Alive, McFarland Clinic and Wolfe Clinic. Macular degeneration is a disorder that affects the central part of the retina causing gradual loss of central vision. The macula is the part of the retina that distinguishes fine details at the center of the field of vision. Destruction of the retinal nerve occurs when fluid leaks into the choroid and forms scar tissue.
Macular degeneration is common in the elderly and is considered a process of aging.
The incidence increases with each decade over age 50 to almost 35 percent by the age of 75. Other risk factors are family history, cigarette smoking and being Caucasian. The disorder results in the loss of central vision only, and peripheral fields are usually maintained. With headquarters in Tucson, Arizona, MDI boasts over 6,000 members worldwide. MDI began in 1991 by working with persons with juvenile macular degeneration and in 1994 expanded its work to include those afflicted with age-related macular degeneration.