I gave up trying to be perfect a long time ago. Too much like work. That is the reason I get it when people let things lapse. You meant to call the doctor about the vision change you think you are seeing but another day is gone and you never got to it.
Or how about this one? You don’t want to bother such a busy guy (or gal) with a silly, little worry. Then there is the forever popular, if I don’t think about it, it will go away!
Yep, dozens of ‘good’ reasons for not monitoring your vision and keeping your doctor in the proverbial loop. My reason for seldom if ever monitoring? (Come on! At least I own it.) My macula is so far gone I am back on biannual visits. I have it on good authority I will most likely not progress to wet AMD. Relief, yes, but I still sort of wish there was enough left I had to worry.
But that is me. There are plenty of you who are still at risk for developing wet AMD. There are also plenty of you who wish they had responded to early warnings before they lost vision. Since that second group are living testimonies to the fact things happen when we are not paying attention, how do we pay better attention to the progression of our disease?
For years the only game in town has been the Amsler Grid. This being the age of technology it is certainly understandable there are suddenly all sorts of machines and apps that not only do the job of monitoring but also narc on you and call your doctor! (Big Brother is even watching your eyes!)
I did a page on myVisionTrack a while ago. I downloaded it but could not play with it because it needed a script from my doctor. It was also for pay. So far this year we have replaced the washer and the dishwasher, rehabbed the pool and had Beastie Baby to the puppy doctor a few times; forgive me if I don’t invest in some of these things. If you use the service, please comment.
The new one I just discovered is ForeseeHome. This is manufactured by Notal Vision, an Israeli company. The company provides an electronic device that is connected to a telecommunication system. Everyday the patient takes three or four minutes to test her vision. If there is a significant change both the patient and her doctor are notified of the need for an immediate appointment.
ForeseeHome is again by prescription only. The frequently asked questions on the website suggest the unit and service are Medicare covered if you meet the eligibility. Apparently you have to be “dry AMD at high risk of progressing to wet AMD”. Am I sure what that means exactly? What I think it means is someone may have to jump through hoops to get Medicare to actually pay for it, but you can get one with a good argument.
If your doctor wants you to monitor much more closely than you are, one of the new electronic systems may be for you. Spend three or four minutes once a day. Eliminate the guesswork. Eliminate feeling guilty for ‘bothering’ the doctor. Help save your sight.
Written August 9th, 2017