Most people take being able to see completely for granted.
That is not the case though for the number of people living in Perth and Kinross with macular disease.
The PA met up with Valerie Wares and guide dog Jorja, Claire Thomas and Hazel Rennie from the Perth Macular Group to find out what it is like to live with sight-loss in the area.
Most of the members of the group live with age-related macular degeneration.
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK and can be caused by either the retinal cells dying off or abnormal blood vessels growing in the eye’s macula.
This can cause degeneration to people’s central vision, including gaps and dark spots, blurred vision, distortion and sight loss.
Valerie, who has age-related macular disease, said: “The group in Perth supports people with any kind of macular disease.
“The majority of members have age-related macular degeneration, which occurs most often after the age of 50.
“Macular disease is an eye condition which affects our central vision and causes us to lose the ability to read and write, to drive, to recognise faces and to be able to see fine objects and details.
“It is diagnosed by a visit to the opticians where they can look at the retina in the back of the eye and see the deterioration in the macula - it is often diagnosed on a routine eye check.
“Some people experience things like wavy lines going down the door or along the skirting boards instead of them being straight.
“In my case, people’s faces became distorted. They just looked like they had a really long nose or a big chin, it was very strange.”
She continued: “It can be quite isolating because when you meet with your friends, you can’t see their faces.
“You need a lot of determination - if I wanted to just sit here in a chair, I would do, and I am sure that happens to a lot of people, particularly if you develop it in your 90s and have other things wrong with you.
“It can be difficult for the public to understand how it is because you look as if you can see perfectly well.
“The best quote I ever heard was a man saying his wife’s friends couldn’t understand how she can see a crumb on the floor but can’t recognise their faces, and that is so true because the peripheral vision is not affected with macular disease.”
There are a number of everyday tasks which are made more difficult because of sight loss, and Valerie and others with macular disease face challenges every day of their lives.
She explained: “The day starts with not knowing how much toothpaste to put on your toothbrush.
“It’s difficult all day and then when you go to bed at night, you still don’t know how much toothpaste to put on your toothbrush.
“When I get on a bus I have to ask the driver what number it is, and sometimes they say ‘it is written on the front, can’t you read?’, but it is not the time or the place to try and explain to the driver.
“Raising awareness of macular disease and sight loss would help with situations like that.
“In big cities the bus also announces what stop it is at.
“I would like to see something like that in Perth, and get announcements of what bus is arriving at bus stops.
“When I had asked previously, I was told there were too many bus stops in Perth to do that.
“I listen to talking books and talking newspapers as well, but I have to listen to the entire paper, I can’t just read the articles I am interested in.
“One of my friends had gone to the supermarket because his wife wasn’t well and he was looking to buy thyme.
“The herbs were in alphabetical order and thyme was at the bottom so he needed to get down on the floor with his magnifying glass, but that was still not enough, so he lay down on the floor.
“Before he knew it, there was a tannoy announcement for first aid to come and see to him!
“You also never find out about special offers in the supermarket because you can’t read the signs, so I always miss out on that.
“It is also now fashionable in restaurants and shops to reduce the lighting to save energy, but for people with macular disease, they need 40 per cent more light that people with full sight.
“And printed menus in cafes have to be contrasting, like black on white.
“If you get a menu with italic print on pale blue, it looks lovely but it is difficult to read - and handwriting is impossible to read.
“Uneven pavements are a problem too and that increases your risk of falling.”
There are also a number of issues which are specific to living in Perthshire.
Valerie continued: “The pedestrian crossing on the main street in Scone hasn’t been working and I go down there four or five times a week and can’t get over the crossings properly.
“Boards and street furniture outside shops and cafes are difficult too - there is a lot around St John Street in Perth for example.
“And the new paving on Mill Street at the back of M&S is difficult because there are no kerbs so my guide dog doesn’t know where to stop, she can’t tell where the road is and where the pavement is.
“It is quite difficult to tell where the pavement is in St John Street as well because it is dark grey in colour.
“It is only when you are in that situation when you realise what it is like.”
The group meets in VisionPK on New Row, Perth on the last Wednesday of every month. It aims to offer support to those with the condition, and provide information on what they can do to live with the disease.
Claire Thomas, whose mum set up the group, said: “The group gives you support because you are with people who are going through the same thing.
“People do say how very important the group is in their lives, and for some it is their major outing. They are very dedicated to coming and we have wonderful volunteers - we are very, very lucky.”
Valerie added: “There are still a lot of people in Perth who don’t know we have a support group. I often find it is their relatives who want them to go along and get some more information and meet others with the condition.
“It starts off with chatting over tea and coffee and sharing stories from 10.30am and then at 11am we start the meeting officially with a few items of business.
“We normally have a speaker as well, and they speak on a huge variety of different things.”
Those interested in getting involved in the Perth Macular Group can head along to their meetings on the last Wednesday of every month (except December) from 10.30am until noon.
The meetings are held in VisionPK on Perth’s New Row.
