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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffMacular degeneration doesn't affect your side (peripheral) vision and usually doesn't cause total blindness. But it can rob you of your central vision — which is important for driving, reading and recognizing people's faces. A low-vision center may be able to assess your visual capabilities and suggest certain optical and household devices that can be helpful for some near-vision tasks. Ask your eye doctor if there are any low-vision centers in your area.
There are ways to cope with impaired vision. Below are a few suggestions:
- Use caution when driving. First, check with your doctor to see if driving is still safe based on your current visual acuity. When you do drive, there are certain situations to avoid. For example, don't drive at night, in heavy traffic or in bad weather.
- Seek help traveling. Use public transportation or ask family members to help, especially with night driving.
- Travel with others. Contact your local area agency on aging for a list of vans and shuttles, volunteer driving networks or ride shares.
- Get good glasses. Optimize the vision you have with the right glasses, and keep an extra pair in the car.
- Use magnifiers. Large-print books and magazines can help you read more easily.
- View with large type on the Internet. Look for Web sites that use large-sized type fonts, or change the font size on your display.
- Obtain specialized appliances. Some clocks, radios, telephones and other appliances have extra-large numbers.
- Have proper light in your home. This will help with reading and other activities.
- Remove home hazards. Eliminate throw rugs and other possible tripping hazards in your home.
- Ask friends and family members for help. Tell them about your vision problems so that they can help you perform certain tasks and help you recognize people.
- Don't become socially isolated. A common frustration of people with macular degeneration is the inability to recognize other people and greet them by name. If this happens to you, try asking people you know to say hi and tell you their names when you meet them on the street or in other situations so that you can greet them back.
- Take advantage of online networks. The Internet is a good source for support groups and resources for people with macular degeneration.
