AMD dry type

[horseaddict]

ive been swotting up on amd and blood pressure pills..my dilemma ..because indications are the blood pressure pills could speed up macula degeneration....do i choose blindness over a possible stroke or heart attach...i take areds2 to slow the AMD..but also need to take blood pressure pills..anybody out there share this dilemma!!!

[Penelopeflower]

Hello horseaddict, I have dry amd in one eye and wet in the other, am also on blood pressure tablets, have not heard about any connection to dry amd but will check with my consultant when I next go.

[Anagramme]

Hi, I haven’t heard this either but will follow this chat as I am also on blood pressure meds too. I do have an appointment with my consultant later this week so will ask.

[pinkperfection]

Yes rather worrying as I have been on blood pressure pills for a few years now. I will be interested to see what the doctors have to say on the subject.

[oldoakowl]

There are all sorts of blood pressure pills that work in different ways. A lot to choose from! Talk to your doctor - ask what he is prescribing, and why.

And have you tried meditation and dietary changes? Low salt, for example, less junk food, more fruits and vegetables. Good for all of your body, heart and eyes included.

I think sunglasses are really important, too - if you go out without them, you are guaranteed to speed up the progression of MD.

[ANGIEIRISH in reply to oldoakowl]

Google the blood pressure tablets you are on and ask what effect they have on AMD and WMD. That's what I've done. I imagine that most people with our problem eat well and know the advantages of low salt, no junk food, and green vegetables. Sunglasses too, you can't actually go out without being aware of how the glare affects your eyes, rather like gloves in the cold of winter. Once outside you are reminded of the need for them.

[princess1931 in reply to ANGIEIRISH]

I have just been given UV sun glasses which cut out the glar without reducing the amount of light we need, I was also given an LED magnifying glass which is a great help as faint print is often barely readable especially doing crosswords where 5. 6 and 8 can be confused leading to some strange answers to the clues! Do ask your eye doctor next visit about these aids wh ich by the way are no charge..xx

[ANGIEIRISH in reply to princess1931]

I am not due to see my eye consultant for another 3 months. Can you give any more details about how to go about getting these items? Even to be given a recommended brand would be helpful. I bought some from my optician which cost £55 but they are very heavy worn on top of my existing glasses and by the end of a day out in the glare of the light at this time of day, I have marks on my face.

[princess1931 in reply to ANGIEIRISH]

Hi, I think the best thiing for you to do is contact the eye clinic you attend; they usually have someone in charge and explain the difficulty you are having and could you have an appointment to see the person who deals with the equipment. Pointout that it is important to shield your eyes from UV rays (they should know this) and the magnifier would help you as you are straining your eyes trying to see small and faint print. I was getting headaches so I know how uncomfortable you feel and you should n ot have to be buying equipment which is costly and usually no good. I hope this helps. xx

[tallyho]

Would it be possible for you to post what you found. I am involved in a fair few committees such as the BRC ( Biomedical Reseach committee) as well as others this has never come up as an issue at all ( and I am sure it would have done ) and so it would be an interesting read. I do know that keeping BP stable is very very important for eye health as well as keeping chlorestrol well managed too.

[ANGIEIRISH in reply to tallyho]

I will post what my doctor has to say about it. I didn't email as I said I would as I really want a face-to-face meeting with him about this and one or two other things and I'm persisting in trying to get an appointment. Meantime, the magnesium spray has proved to be useless in tyhe long term. I had an amazing week when the dry eyes disappeared completely and I thought I'd found a miraculous cure, but it must have been a fluke. It reappeared after about ten days and worse than ever. I've since had another scan but they say the eyes are stable, in which case there is nothing more they can prescribe - the dry eyes I just have to keep on trying to alleviate with different gels and drops.

[tallyho in reply to ANGIEIRISH]

I have had punctual plugs inserted for my dry eyes and they made such a difference

[ANGIEIRISH in reply to tallyho]

I will look into this, they have never been recommended to me and, in fact, I only heard about them through this forum.

[tallyho in reply to ANGIEIRISH]

They have so helped me I had such bad dry eyes I kept getting corneal abrasions

[ANGIEIRISH]

I have just discovered the same thing and wondering if I should drop the water pill? I think I'll email my doctor (no chance of an appointment for a query) and see what he comes up with. I doubt if the eye consultant will know as much as the GP as he is a specialist. Meantime, a therapist I am seeing for tinnitus has given me a spray of pure magnesium (well diluted) which is helping tremendously with the dry eyes. I'm hoping this is OK to use as it is a real help.

[Rosalyn-helpline Partner]

Dear horseaddict,

In terms of general lifestyle advice for individuals with macular related conditions, then a key one of these is the importance of keeping blood pressure under control. For some individuals, this needs to be via medication. It is extremely important not to stop taking any prescribed medication with out discussion with the prescribing medical professional, in case of any negative impact to health.

Kind regards,

Macular Society Advice and Information Service