“There is never a moment’s respite from age-related macular degeneration,” says Kevin.
Every morning as Kevin wakes up, he’s confronted by the stark reality that he is living with a debilitating eye condition. It’s the first thing he thinks of in the morning and it doesn’t go away until he closes his eyes again at night.
Five years ago, Kevin noticed the light in his kitchen seemed different. He thought it was the globe in the ceiling fixture. When he started noticing how light was affecting his ability to see things in other places, he began wondering if perhaps it was in fact his vision that was changing.
By the time Kevin came to the Lions Eye Institute, he had developed geographic atrophy, the advanced stage of dry age-related macular degeneration, a condition which ophthalmologist and clinician researcher Associate Professor Fred Chen explained had caused his central vision to become blurred and distorted. It was a condition that would worsen over time.
“My main fears were around just how bad my vision could get,” says Kevin. “I’ve always been a positive person, but my confidence took a huge hit and adjusting both practically and emotionally was extremely difficult.”
Dry macular degeneration is a condition which worsens progressively. There is currently no treatment.
To understand Kevin’s journey, you can watch Kevin’s story by clicking the video above, or here.
People like Kevin desperately need your help. Your donation today can support critical research into treatments that stop eye conditions like dry macular degeneration from progressing, before it’s too late.
Associate Professor Fred Chen is leading the Western Australian Retinal Degeneration (WARD) study to investigate factors that influence the progression of retinal disease like macular degeneration, to identify and treat them earlier. This involves vision assessment using multimodal imaging every six months over a five-year period.
“The participants get the benefit of regular expert monitoring of their vision that couldn’t otherwise be routinely available. All the while, we’re getting rich information on their vision for our research. This information will be of immense value to them when the time comes that we have routine treatments on offer,” says Associate Professor Chen.
Your gift today can support the advancement of sight saving research, helping people like Kevin with dry macular degeneration access treatments sooner.
Kevin has been identified as an eligible candidate for a clinical trial for his dry macular degeneration. He sees this opportunity for treatment as a beacon of hope not only for him, but for generations to come.
“If it stops my vision worsening or slows the disease down, then that’s a win for me,” says Kevin.
Kevin’s three children and five grandchildren could be genetically predisposed and he hopes to protect his family from what he’s experienced.
It is your generosity that allows our critical sight saving work to continue. Please donate today to ensure people like Kevin can access treatments they need sooner.