macular degeneration, macular, diagnosis Caveat Emptor – My Macular Degeneration Journey/Journal

Caveat Emptor

So we have come to the middle of another week. Hump day, Wednesday!

I looked up funny hump day jokes and found a slew. You can take your pick. Some of them are giggle-out-loud quality.

Anyway, I taught today and then went over to the sight loss support group. My low vision person was presenting the latest in low vision technology, the MoJo monocular.

Mojo monocular

I cannot give you much of a spiel on it. I have not done much more than glance through it and pass it on. Therefore, as usual, this is just me telling you what I read. No recommendation.

The MoJo is a magnifier that works both near and far point. The price for the handheld monocular itself is about $1500. Add the part that can turn it into a CCTV and you are looking at $3000 or so. The manufacturer, Enhanced Vision, advertises a large field of view and autofocus capabilities.

This may be a great addition to the list of low vision tools. May not be. The MoJo has only been on the market for two or three months. If you are interested and have the money, try it and give us a product review.

And continuing in the interested and have the money vein, I have started to see articles suggesting that, in spite of its celebrity endorsements in the UK, the Eyemax Mono may still have some bugs to work out. The Daily Mail reported the Macular Society is suggesting caution before you agree to undergo this expensive procedure. The cost being quoted is £15,000 which at present exchange rates is approximately $19,480 (May 2017). Ouch. And if you are an American, remember the Eyemax Mono is not FDA approved and added to that cost would be a trip across the pond.

In short, it sounds promising, but remember caveat emptor. Use extreme caution before committing to any new procedure. Do your homework. Nothing is ever as good as it sounds at first blush.

The newest implant this side of the pond is a miniature telescope. This one is FDA approved so it should be both effective and safe. The manufacturer is VisionCare.  The surgery is Medicare eligible according to the article so we are not talking about huge out of pocket costs. That is a plus.

Now, once more, on the minus side, this is not a cure and will not halt the progression of the disease. All it is is magnification and a spreading of the image to intact parts of the retina. They have moved the magnification system from the outside in.

They also will only do the implant in one eye. That is because there is a ‘tunnel effect’ in the vision of the treated eye. The untreated eye is used for peripheral vision.

Another problem with the telescope is the need to train the brain. There is a period of several weeks during which the patient is learning to adapt to a new way of seeing.

Bottom line, things are progressing but not necessarily in the areas of treatment or cure. All three of these things mentioned magnify and move the image to intact retina. Close, but no cigar.

My personal preference is to find something medical that will stop the disease progression in it’s tracks. Barring that, magnification and relocating the image may bring you an undetermined period of better sight. You pay your money and you take your choice….just do it wisely.

May 10th, 2017

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