Chapter One

The Miracle of Eyesight

Macular degeneration is an eye disease that has been described, most recently by ABC's 20/20 TV program, as perhaps the most significant epidemic of the twentieth century, affecting 13 million Americans and millions more around the globe. The probability of being afflicted by macular degeneration increases with age, but this is not to say that younger people are not stricken. While the disease can result in a loss of one's central vision, the rate of loss differs widely.

    There are several forms of macular degeneration, but the most prevalent is age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the subject of this book. Despite the name, ARMD can occur at a relatively early age. Arthur Schmidt, for example, is an attorney who was diagnosed with ARMD at the age of fifty-seven.

    Arthur first experienced "eye problems" decades ago in law school. He had trouble making out some of the words in his textbooks and often got headaches as he read. He reasoned, quite logically, that eyestrain and fatigue were the cause of his problems. At the student union he was referred to an optician. As soon as he got his first pair of reading glasses, his ability to read without difficulty was instantly restored, and his headaches vanished. Every few years, when the edges of letters grew fuzzy and the lines harder to read, he would visit the optician nearest his law office and get a slightly stronger prescription.

    Arthur had learned, without thinking about it, that if reading became more difficult, the proven solution was sim