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Other Treatments for Macular Degeneration

In addition to dietary and other behavior modifications, the management of macular degeneration involves psychosocial treatments and vision rehabilitation. These include:

Mental Health Care

You may have difficulty adjusting to decreased vision at first. Feeling anxious, depressed, angry, or lonely is common. As with any loss, you may experience grief. This can be stressful not only for you but for your loved ones. Individual, couple, or family therapy can help you learn how to cope more effectively and get the support you need. Support groups can also help you and your family share feelings, frustrations, and solutions to certain challenges. It is important that you develop and maintain a strong support system to prevent isolation and depression.

Physical and Financial Assistance

In addition to emotional support and comfort, you may need physical and financial assistance. Make sure you have family members, friends, and other supporters to help you with tasks such as cooking, paying bills, taking your medications, and transportation to medical appointments and social events. You may also want to find a social worker to help you and your family access community, state, and federal resources for the visually impaired. Your eyecare professional may help you get registered with the Commission for the Blind if you qualify.

Vision Rehabilitation

You need to maximize your remaining vision so that you can continue with many of your daily activities. A "low-vision" specialist can help assess your remaining vision, recommend optical aids and devices, and provide training in using these aids.

Low-vision devices include:

  • Adjustable lamps
  • Magnifiers
  • High-powered reading glasses
  • Telescope-mounted lenses
  • Protective filters and sun lenses
  • Special bold-lined paper
  • Aids for check-writing and addressing envelopes
  • Reading stands
  • Colored filters to enhance contrast
  • Large-print publications
  • Dials with large lettering for televisions and stoves
  • Voice-activated devices
  • Special computerized devices
REFERENCES:

Age-related macular degeneration. National Eye Institute (NEI) website. Available at: https://nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen. Accessed November 28, 2016.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD). EBSCO DynaMed Plus website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114486/Age-related-macular-degeneration-AMD. Accessed November 28, 2016.

Home & personal safety. Bright Focus Foundation website. Available at: http://www.brightfocus.org/macular/home-safety. Accessed November 28, 2016.

Living with AMD. Macular Degeneration Partnership website. Available at: http://www.amd.org/living-with-amd Accessed July November 28, 2016.

Last reviewed February 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review Board