The eye center is part of the UCSD Medical Center located at 9415 Campus Point Drive in La Jolla, California. The early signs of macular degeneration may include blurred vision during reading or difficulty focusing on straight lines. People with severe macular degeneration may have trouble reading, driving, and recognizing faces of friends and loved ones. To date, there is no cure.
Treatment slows the disease progress in a small percentage of cases.
Through the UCSD Education and self management program, people with severe macular degeneration are learning ways to adapt to vision loss. During small group sessions that are held once per week for six weeks, participants and leaders exchange information about how to cope with the effects of macular degeneration in their lives. As part of the research program to help assess the impact of the group on their quality of life as well as learn more about the needs of the people with macular degeneration, participants are interviewed before and after the six-week program.