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.

IOL-Vip restores vision in macular degeneration patients

This implant has been in the news for several years now and the development is highly encouraging. We first reported on it in 2008 and the seven years later, it is going from strength to strength. That is good news for macular degeneration patients! 

Patients benefit from the use of a prismatic IOL system, which redirects light away from diseased tissue and toward a peripheral portion of healthy retina.

Click here to read more.

You can also click here to read another earlier story we posted on the IOL-Vip lens in 2013. 

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!

Pioneer stem cell trials in London

Surgeons in London have carried out a pioneering human embryonic stem cell operation in an ongoing trial to find a cure for blindness for many patients.

The procedure was performed on a woman aged 60 at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

It involved "seeding" a tiny patch with specialised eye cells and implanting it at the back of the retina.

Read this BBC story to find out more about this exciting development!

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.