Posted by Janet on July 13, 2000 at 21:44:33:

I'm 51 and have a condition called 'idiopathic anaphylaxia' (I tend to drop dead occasionally)that has been treated (unsuccessfully) for years with ephedrine/epinephrine (adrenalin) and prednisone...Now I'm told I have the early stages of macular degeneration and the home page says these meds may be one of the causes.
I can't survive without them and need to know if there is anyway to determine how quickly this is likely to progress to the point where I'm 'disabled' so I can make adjustments. I understand this is a 'slow' progressing disorder, but my vision seems to have deteriorated rapidly in the last 6 months from "fine, but my arms are too short" to real difficulty reading even with reading glasses and a bright light. Anyone know if this has the potential for RAPID onset?

By DENISE HUDSON on Friday, November 17, 2000 - 01:13 am:

I'M 37 AND WAS DIAGNOSED AT 18.IT TOOK 10 YEARS FOR ME TO GET TO THE POINT OF LEGAL BLINDNESS 20/200 i'VE BEEN AT 20/400 FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS WITH NO CHANGE,(YAY!!) THIS IS AN ODD DISEASE.I RECENTLY MET A28 YEAR OLD GUY WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED AT 10,6 MONTHS LATER HE WAS AT 20/400 SAD HUH ,SO IGUESS IT'S UNPREDICTABLE.ONE THiNG I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT THIS DISEASE IS WORKABLE THERE ARE SO MANY AIDS THAT CAN HELP YOU WITH READING,AND IT'S AMAZING HOW WE CAN ADAPT WHEN WE HAVE TO !!AND I'VE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE WHO'S GONE TOTSLLY BLIND FROM THIS.GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS YOU!!!!

By herbalmedic on Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 02:55 pm:

What a great site- Im telling you its this kind of activity thats a benefit for all. This truly is a debilitating disease- and I have seen many with symp- including my dad- But he seems to feel his vision is at least constant-(he doesnt have the wet kind) due to an opthamologist in Marin Co.,Ca, and the meds she/they Rx. Many antioxis R in this prep but I havent seen it any place else. It also seems that to go totally blind is and can take so much time that its not tooo common- Still there r cases but i dont know exact numbers so hard to say if statistically sig.

So a lot one can do- per the 2nd comment-
In terms of the first writer- Janet- thats wild- that form of anaphylaxis- especially being idiopathic-I was just wondering if any amphetamines or meth or anything that makes your heart tachycardic- orbeat fast - such as any recreational stimulants -over a period of time that led to this prob. I know some people that have use probs and was wondering if vision can be a problem later in life.My cousin had a bad problem with use and a myriad of probs ensued-One being his vision. It would be interesting to see if any studies correlate this.

By Anonymous on Thursday, June 09, 2005 - 01:54 pm:

I am 40 1/2 and I have been told that I have 2 Drusen and I have been told that I have the precursor of Macular Degeneration. I understand a lot more now that I have visisted this site, and I appreciate it's existance. I was told by an Optomatrist just to take Ocuvite vitamins, watch my blood sugar, blood pressure and lose weight, but then my primary care Dr. said that blood sugar had nothing to do with it, and we would just have to wait an see how fast it would progress. I'm glad people are talking about it. Frankly the whole thing really scares me.