FAQ on AREDS 2

MDS President Sharon Siddique shared the findings of the Age-Relaed Eye Disease Studey (AREDS) 2 study at our sharing session on vitamins yesterday. You can find out more from this FAQ by the National Eye Institute in the United States. 

Click here to read more. 

Are vitamins vital?

Some believe the vitamins they have been taking have helped stabilised or slow the degeneration of their vision. Others believe the supplements they have took are useless. And there are also a group which suspect that their vitamins have been useful, but perhaps more as a placebo, giving a peace of mind. 

The differing views emerged from a sharing session held earlier today by the Macular Degeneration Society. In its first event of 2016, the group had an intimate and lively discussion between a dozen members on the pros and cons of vitamins.

Whichever group you belong to, there is no denying that vitamins is a vital part of the lives of macular degeneration patients. Regardless of the severity of your condition or whether you suffer from AMD or MMD, most are familiar with vitamins. 

Members brought the supplements they have been taking and others feverishly snapped photos and took down the names. The vitamins discussed include the more well-known Ocuvite to the newer Japanese brands like Red Sun's Berry Bright. The exchange of notes and experience was most helpful, broadening the knowledge of as members exchanged tips. 

These include prices of vitamins, where to buy and the recommended dosage. Three websites have been used by MDS members. They are Puritan's Pride, Vitamin World and iHerb. 

Directions to Fifth Avenue Condominium

Dear MDS members, 

We are holding our first event of 2016 this Saturday. This is the first time we are holding it at Fifth Avenue Condominium. Here are the directions to the venue: 

By train: Fifth Ave Condo is located off Sixth Avenue, which is off Bukit Timah Road. The condo is 250 metres from the new Sixth Avenue MRT Station on Downtown Line. Take Exit A, head straight until you hit Sixth Avenue. Turn left and you will see Fifth Avenue shortly. The function room is at the entrance of the condominium. 

By car: For those driving, you can park in the condo's basement car park. At the guard house, please say that you are a visitor of Lucy #02-03. Please collect a parking slip and park at the visitor's lots.

Sharing Session: The World of Vitamins

Dear MDS members, 

We are holding our first event in 2016. Please see below for the details. 

Sharing Session: The World of Vitamins

It has been well documented that vitamins are critical to patients of macular degeneration. But in the big colourful world of supplements, which ones work and which ones don't? How do vitamins from the West compare to those imported from Japan?

Bring along your vitamins. Tell us what you are taking and share with us the results. Let's exchange tips and share secrets! Find out what other macular degeneration patients are taking.

MDS President Dr Sharon Siddique will lead the sharing session, offering her years of knowledge on not only the usefulness of vitamins, but also the pitfalls to avoid.

Date: Jan 23, 2016 (Sat)

Time: 2pm to 4pm

Venue: Fifth Avenue Condominium's Function Room, 2 Fifth Avenue, Singapore 268800.

Directions: Fifth Ave Condo is located off Sixth Avenue, which is off Bukit Timah Road. The condo is a very short walk from the Sixth Avenue MRT Station along Downtown Line. The station will open on Dec 27, 2015.

Please sign up by calling Anne at 6238-7387, or sending an email to alleyes@singnet.com.sg.

We will be collecting the MDS subscription fee of $20 for 2016-2017 at the door. Thanks.

See you!

Search for a new venue

MDS held its annual general meeting yesterday, in conjunction with the national AMD Awareness Week at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. 

Members discussed possible new venues for events and sharing sessions in light of the closure of our regular site at Alexandra Hospital. The key problem for MDS remains funding. Most convenient sites require payment and the society lacks the funds for that. 

But it is agreed that it is important to find a regular venue in a convenient location. This is because most of the MDS members are older and have vision impairment. Frequent changes of locations would discourage them from attending the events. Accessibility is also critical. Ideally, the venue should be within short walking distance of a MRT station. The Exco will continue to look for a suitable place. 

The lack of venues has hampered MDS' organisation of more events. But instead of quantity, the focus has been on quality. The talk on a recipe book held last year was popular and well-received. So was the recent talk by Apple on iPhones for the visually impaired. We will seek to do more, offering members not only knowledge and information, but also support and camaraderie. 

MDS is once again proud to be a partner of the  annual AMD Awareness Week.

AMD Awareness Week and MDS' AGM

Dear MDS members,

We have a full program on Saturday, 5 September 2015. This year we will be holding our AGM in conjunction with the AMD Awareness Week at KTPH. Register and you are invited to attend the launch from 9am to 11am. 

Then from 12pm to 1pm MDS will be presenting a talk. We will cover important ways to cope with macular degeneration, based on our own experiences. So we will do a chat on the following:

o The importance of vitamins

o Sunglasses are critical

o Technology can help you

o What should you avoid - strenuous exercises, roller coasters?

o Support groups can offer support - learn and try

The session will be casual and relaxed. For every topic, an MDS Exco member will lead the discussion but others should jump in to give their views and ask questions. It is not a lecture. It is a discussion. We will spend around 10 minutes on each of the 5 topics, and the session should be around 1 hour.

The talk will be followed by our MDS AGM 2015. (For members who have not yet renewed their membership, an MDS subscription fee of $20 for 2014-2015 will be collected at the door.)

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE

8th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)

MACULAR DEGENERATION SOCIETY (MDS) SINGAPORE

Date: Saturday, 5 September 2015

Time: 1pm – 2pm

Venue: Kaizen Room 1, Tower B, Learning Centre, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, 90 Yishun Central, S768828

Please indicate your attendance by either telephoning Anne (62387387), or sending an email toalleyes@singnet.com.sg.

We hope to see you on Saturday, 5 September 2015!

MDS EXCO

Sharing on new year hopes

By Peh Shing Huei

MDS Secretary

The Macular Degeneration Society kicked off its events for 2013 with an intimate sharing session last Saturday on members' wishes and hopes in the new year. Among the ideas exchanged were the events which members hope MDS can organise in 2013 and beyond. 

Sharing sessions should be a regular feature because it is in line with the objectives of the MDS, set up in 2007 to facilitate like-minded patients of macular degeneration share about their experiences and offer mutual support. Hence, a suggestion was mooted to have an event where our members would form a panel - a panel of "expert patients", if you would. Each expert patient can share on a particular slice of treatment for macular degeneration. 

For example, one could talk about the experiences of going through Lucentis treatment. Another can discuss about trying Avastin. Others can also share experiences of traditional Chinese medicine etc. It can be an event which MDS organise later this year or in early 2014. 

In addition, members also expressed a keen interest to find out more about the latest research, especially in stem cells. MDS organised a well-received stem cells talk last year by Dr Mandeep Singh and will aim to have more updates on this exciting and ground-breaking field. Click here to read our report from Dr Singh's talk in 2012.

Last, a member who was not able to attend the meeting said through e-mail that she hoped that we can have another session to teach members on eccentric viewing. We had a good event on that in 2011. Click here to read about it. But it will certainly be useful to bring it back, by popular demand! 

Tips from MDS members

Some 20 members of Macular Degeneration Society attended our first event of the year last Saturday - an intimate sharing session of our personal strategies in coping  with the disease.

Here's a list of the suggestions offered: 

• Settle on a doctor. It is tempting and common to look for a second, a third or even a fourth opinion. But the sooner you settle on one, you can build a lasting and trusting relationship with your physician, allowing him to know your condition better.

• Don't be afraid to try new things. If it doesn't hurt, give it a shot. We do not know what might work, so don't be too fast to close doors on possible options, be it Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture or vitamins, meditation etc.  

• Be honest and open. It is part of the acceptance which will bring more calm and peace. There is nothing to be ashamed of.

• Doctors are not god. They do not know everything. Do your research so that you are in a better position to discuss with them your best treatment.

• Join MDS so that you can share information with fellow sufferers and get useful tips.

• Take multi-vitamins

• Do things in moderation. Wolfberries may be good for eyes but too much of a good thing may be counter productive. 

• Your eyes are related to your whole physiology. You have to look after the other parts of your body because they are all related.

• Enlarge fonts on your computer and read under bright lights. Don't strain your eyes.

• Expect mood swings. You can never completely get rid of macular degeneration and things can get bad and you will feel depressed. Be conscious and aware of it. 

• Share your condition with others. Most people look at the sufferers of macular degeneration and think that we are normal. But we are not. So we must let people know so that they will give us the space. This is especially so for family members, who must be reminded to put things back where they are and not shift furniture.

• Buy a range of magnifiers. 

• Avoid MSG.

• Do a morning check of your eyes every day.

• Don't let work stress and pressure affect your health.

• Alert bosses and colleagues to your condition so that they will understand if you need help, such as taking time off for eye appointments and even bed rest. 

• Prayers. 

Sharing session - The Three Tips

The fight against macular degeneration is often a lonely process. But it gets better when you are able to pick the brains of others on how to cope. And in our view, the greatest treasure trove of information lies within us - the members of MDS. Come join us in a sharing session among members on your three best tips to live with macular degeneration.

There is no right or wrong answer. There is no good or bad answer too. Your tips can be on anything, ranging from medicinal to exercises, from technology to household changes, from how to connect with a doctor to the best way to get back home after a check-up. In short, it can be on ANYTHING.

What we take for granted in our own struggles with macular degeneration is very likely not familiar to others. And it could make a big difference in all our lives when we share and pick up these unknown "personal strategies".

Date: Feb 11, 2012 (Sat)
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Venue: All For Eyes shop, Tanglin Shopping Centre, 19 Tanglin Road, #05-23, Spore 247909

 Call Anne at 6238-7387, or e-mail alleyes@singnet.com.sg to reserve your places now for our first event of 2012!

This event is free for all MDS members. If you know of someone who you feel might benefit from joining our circle, please invite them, just let us know in advance.

REMINDER for members, please arrange to pay your membership fees ($20 for 2 years) if you haven't done so.