My dad was just diagnosed w/dry macular degeneration, and we're

[babylonsister]

all freaked out a bit. Any tips, tricks, words of encouragement out there?
He's been counseled to eat more fish, nuts, and to take his vitamins. No known cure. :(

[mopinko]

1. i think you can get vitamins that are formulated for eyes.

other than that, i know nothing. i just talked to someone yesterday that was coming down with it. pretty much told the same thing.
this is the second person that i know with it, and both are long time art gallery workers. bright lights, ya know.

[hashibabba]

2. My father has dry macular degeneration

and he takes 6 mg. of lutein for it. He went back to the doctor and the doc said his eyes are now fine, "but it probably didn't have anything to do with the lutein". They just refuse to accept that nutritional supplements can help some kinds of problems.

Here's a good place to look for supplements:

http://www.vitacost.com/newsletter/newsletter.cfm?nl=163

[babylonsister]

3. The vitamins corrected the MD? If so, wouldn't that be the cure?

Dad started taking the Lutein-based vitamins immediately.
Now they're telling him he has one eye w/wet MD. He's going in for a procedure
in a couple of weeks where, for some reason, they stick a needle in his eye ball.
:shrug: Needless to say, he isn't too thrilled at the prospect.

[mopinko]

5. nobody wants stuff stuck in their eye

i had a couple of eye injuries, and it still freaks me out to think about it. they had to scrape some scar tissue off once. i could not believe them when they told me that my eye was numb and i wouldn't feel a thing. but it sure was and i sure didn't. needles, tho? put me out all the way. don't want to be there for that one.
good luck to your pops.

[babylonsister]

4. Dad worked outside his whole life, so I imagine the sun played

a part in his getting MD, plus his age (he's 78).

[japple]

7. All of the eye doctors I know are giving samples or

coupons to their older patients for I-Caps, specifically the Age-Related Eye Disease (AREDS) formula.

[LA lady]

6. I don't know much about dry but there's a new med for wet

Lucentis

Very promising