Pattern Retinal Dystrophy or Multiple Scotomas

What I see with my right eye

So, what is my vision like?  Fortunately I have two eyes and one is significantly better than the other. I have multiple scotomas in both eyes but the right one is much worse. Scotoma are blind spots on the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that permits central vision, what you focus on and what you want to see. Imagine looking at a person’s face and seeing only a grayish blur. My left eye compensates some, but it distorts the upper right corner of what I see. When I look at a street sign with both eyes, I simply can’t see some of the letters. Lombard becomes Lombd.  My brain compensates some: Cradle Rock becomes Candle Rock. When I take an eye test I can’t see all of the big E; when we move down a few lines, I can’t see all of the letters.  I have to move my head around to find the letters and even then it’s hard to tell what belongs where. Straight lines become squiggly. Going down an escalator with all those silvery metal lines is really scary. There is little depth perception. Reading is a blurry mess. I’s, X’s, H’s, M’s and N’s get mixed up. R’s, S’s, B’s P’s and D’s do too. Threading a needle at 62 years of age is really hard; with blind spots, it’s just about impossible.

Right now, there are no cures or fixes. What I have is genetic.  My dad had it and some of my siblings do too. It is similar to the dry form of macular degeneration. Glasses don’t help - you can’t correct what you can’t see. My right eye corrected is 20/120. The other eye is 20/60. You need anywhere between 20/50 and 20/70 depending on the state in at least one eye to drive. So, I pass that test. BUT, I oly drive in the daytime, in good weather conditions and where I know where I am going, and not dependent on street signs.

There is test that you can take to see if you have “macula issues.” Close or cover one eye, and stare at black dot on the Amsler grid. If all the lines stay straight and perpendicular, you’re good to go.  If you see some curvy lines on the chart, time to go to the eye doctor. Check both eyes! A sudden change from straight to curvy can mean development of “wet” macular degeneration – a leak or bleed under the macula. This can actually be helped – all the more reason to go to the eye doc immediately if it happens.

Amsler Grid to Test Eyes

There is an excellent app for the iPad and iPhone called Macula Tester. it allows you to test your eyes by marking the curvy areas, take a picture and track your the progress. 

These are the blind spots in my eyes.

So, this is my story. My eyes don’t capture everything, especially in dim light.  This is a form of “low-vision.” Magnifiers help, but they don’t fill in for the blind spots.  BUT, with the right doctor and resources ...