A proactive approach to vision loss
Bronwyn’s story highlights ongoing fight for better eye health
Bronwyn Anderson was overseas when she realised her vision was not as good as it had been. On her return she received a card in the mail from her optometrist, notifying her she was due for her two-yearly check-up. Bronwyn promptly made an appointment.
She advised the optometrist she was glad to receive the reminder because she was concerned about her eyes. The optometrist looked at her eyes, did the eye tests and a scan, and told her that her eyes had barely changed since her check two years earlier.
Bronwyn, of Otaki, ¯ challenged him on this because she felt her vision had changed. He said it was probably because she was not looking through her progressive lenses correctly. She thought this was odd and queried this to no avail. When she told her friends and family, they, too, thought it was odd.
Less than two months later, Bronwyn woke up in the night, looked at the alarm clock and couldn’t see it. She thought “that’s weird”, then thought nothing of it.
The next morning when driving to work from Ō taki to Wellington, Bronwyn remembered the alarm clock incident and checked her eyes. She closed one eye and she could see fine, she closed the other eye and couldn’t see anything.
Bronwyn thought maybe the tiny cataracts had grown bigger, and busy at work, she did not pay it any more attention. About six days later, she decided to consult another optometrist who showed Bronwyn her eye was full of blood. The optometrist rang the eye clinic immediately and got Bronwyn an appointment with an ophthalmologist the next day.
The ophthalmologist did all the checks, then asked her if she knew about macular degeneration (MD). She said, “Not really, just vaguely that it is a disease that can make you go blind.” The ophthalmologist told her she had MD. She said, “I can’t have it, I have had a recent eye health test and they told me the retina was okay.”
The ophthalmologist told her she had wet MD in one eye and dry MD in the other. She gave Bronwyn an injection immediately, and five days later she had another bleed and went back for another injection.
Because of the scar tissue from the bleeds, Bronwyn has permanent vision loss and is legally blind in one eye. She has dry MD in the other.
Bronwyn was angry at first, as she feels if she had been told about MD, she would have been proactive. She would have used the Amsler grid, she would have learned about the disease and how to get the best outcome earlier to save her sight.
In retrospect, Bronwyn remembered that just before she went overseas, she was delivering a workshop and she looked down and couldn’t read her notes. Because she didn’t know about MD, she didn’t really think anything of it. With hindsight, if she had known, she would have sought professional help and treatment.
Bronwyn has had to fight all along the way of her eye health journey. She had to fight to get her injections in time because they were constantly being delayed. At one stage she fell off the list of patients and had to battle to get herself reinstated.
Bronwyn realised that to get the help and treatment to save her sight, she would need to be proactive. “It makes me mad that you have to keep pushing and keep fighting to get the treatment you need”.
At one stage when she was told her treatment was going to be delayed for three months, Bronwyn rang Macular Degeneration New Zealand in despair. A phone conversation with an ophthalmologist ensued, the doctor immediately activated an appointment and Bronwyn got the treatment in time.
Bronwyn doesn’t want others to go through what she did, so she is spreading the word. She spoke at her local Rotary club and everyone went home with an Amsler grid, well informed and knowing what to watch out for.
Bronwyn says, “MDNZ’s information and support has been a lifesaver for me.” She read all the information provided, and took up MDNZ’s suggestion of support networks and organisations such as Blind Low Vision New Zealand where she has become a member. They have been amazing, coming out to help Bronwyn with her computer, put her in touch with someone who helped with reading aids, and she can now access their audiobooks and the library.
Because MD can be hereditary, Bronwyn told her son and daughter about the disease and got their eyes checked. Her son rang to tell her he has an “immaculate macula”. Thanks to Bronwyn, both now have Amsler grids, are well informed about the disease and what to do to prevent vision loss.
Bronwyn believes all optometrists should make the Amsler grid available for their clients and talk to them about what can be done. She wishes she had known what to look for sooner and maybe she could have saved some of her sight.
Because of her vision loss, Bronwyn is no longer able to work in the city. However, she has a positive attitude and hopes her story will help others to be proactive about their eye health, to question if they feel something isn’t right and to not delay in seeking help.