Missy’s’ Story – Received 28 November, 2008

I have just recently been diagnosed with Stargardts Disease. I am 35 years old. When I first had my eyes dilated at 23, the doctor saw these little yellow dots on my retina, but there were so few, they chalked them up to one of the many benign “white spot” syndromes.

In the last year and half, I noticed my vision getting blurry. I went to the optometrist and got new glasses, but the blurriness remained. I chalked it up to stress or menopause (I have had a total hysterectomy at 33). I finally went to the optometrist a few weeks ago and upon dilating my eyes, he got very concerned and sent me directly to a retinal specialist. That is where they did the IV dye and found the disease. I am to see another retinal specialist at the University of Virginia next week for an EOG and ERG. My eyesight had deteriorated quite rapidly in the 2 1/2 weeks between my appointments and I can almost daily see more blurriness and changes. I am a dental hygienist and I do not feel comfortable working at this point, but am considered “over qualified” for other jobs, so I am having a hard time financially. This is still so new to me and I know I am lucky that my vision has been so good until now.

I would love to hear from other people on how they have dealt with this, how they have coped financially, if they have had any success with any supplements, just anything. Right now, I am just very afraid. My email is: mlrichmond@hotmail.com. Thanks!!
Missy