I had no idea my life was about to change forever when I visited by optometrist for a routine check-up five years ago.   I expected him to talk about my glasses so was shocked when he told me that I could go blind because I had 'dry macular degeneration' - something I'd never even heard of.  I was scared of losing my eyesight.

My sight had been getting worse for a while but I thought that was a normal thing related to my age.  It's scary to think there are lots of people out there who assume they have age-related eyesight problems when they actually have MD.

After getting the news I went on the internet and read articles that confirmed my otpometrist's view that I could go blind over time.   It really bothered me and I suffered from depression for around six months after I found out.

Even though the diagnosis came as a shock and my MD later changed from dry to wet (which is even worse) overall I feel that I've been really lucky.  The MD was diagnosed in time and I had regular treatment that saved my vision.

MD is with you forever but the treatment meant mine was stopped from getting any worse so I can still play tennis, table tennis, swim, drive and work.   When I was diagnosed I was scared I would lose the vision that let me do those things, so I'm really glad the MD was spotted in time.

I'm no longer depressed and am looking forward to the future.  I am happy.