Sight Scotland Veterans is a founding partner in Action Against AMD, an initiative tackling one of the leading causes of blindness in the world: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Many of the older veterans we support live with this disease. That’s why Sight Scotland Veterans have joined forces with three other leading sight loss charities – Blind Veterans UK, Fight for Sight and The Macular Society – in Action Against AMD.
Structured as a medical research charity, Action Against AMD is driving to develop a therapy that will prevent early-stage AMD from progression to the point of severe sight loss, for both wet and dry AMD. Action Against AMD’s main objective is to facilitate the funding of medical research aimed at finding an effective early-stage AMD treatment.
What is age-related macular degeneration (AMD)?
AMD destroys central vision over time, leading to blurred or even no central vision at all. There are two types of age-related macular degeneration: wet AMD and dry AMD. Wet AMD is currently treated with regular eye injections, which can slow the deterioration of sight.
In the UK, there are over 600,000 people whose sight is affected by this devastating condition – a figure set to double by 2050. Worldwide, AMD is the cause of significant sight loss for over 10 million people, with the number expected to double by 2040.
Impact of age-related macular degeneration
Many of the veterans Sight Scotland Veterans support are experiencing huge life changes as a result of AMD. The condition can have an impact on various aspects of day-to-day life and physical and mental health. It can leave people unable to read or recognise faces, and in many cases AMD will stop someone being able to drive.
Action Against AMD’s vision
The Action Against AMD partnership’s vision is a world where AMD – both wet and dry – is stopped before it causes sight loss. Please visit actionagainstamd.org for more information on their work.
Visit our Information and Advice section to find out more about age-related macular degeneration.
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Information and advice
At Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, we get that sight loss can be scary. If you're looking for guidance for yourself, or want to know more about how to support someone with sight loss or blindness, we are here to help.
How we can help
Across Scotland, we provide support to empower ex-service personnel affected by changes to their sight to regain confidence, restore independence and make new connections.