Helping Macular Degeneration Patients With Visual Activity

Dr. Dulce Walker can help patients with macular degeneration regain visual function. Our goal is to help you get back to doing the things you want to do such as drive, read, watch TV, use your phone, recognize faces, and more. Our goal is to maximize the use of your remaining vision to restore your quality of life.

Living With Macular Degeneration

Living with Macular Degeneration can be challenging, as the vision loss may prevent you from doing the things you used to do. However, Low Vision of New Mexico is here to help you. Whether you want to drive your car, read your favorite books or magazines, watch TV or films, use your phone, or simply recognize the faces of the people you care about, Dr. Dulce Walker can help. There is hope!

Can I Drive With Macular Degeneration?

Central vision is crucial for safe driving. Unfortunately, macular degeneration can render driving difficult to impossible without specialized low vision correction. At our low vision practice, we offer low vision aids and glasses to help enhance your vision for independent and safe driving.

The tools we offer include a miniature binocular called a bioptic telescope (bioptic) that is placed in the center of your eyeglass lenses. Bioptics will allow you to recognize the color of traffic lights and clearly read street signs. However, it is important to note that in most cases, the macular degeneration patient is required to undergo a specialized training program prior to driving with bioptics in New Mexico.

How Can I Read With Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration makes it difficult to read the small print found in most books and journals. In order to enhance your reading abilities, Dr. Dulce Walker will recommend the ideal low vision glasses for you. This can include low vision magnifying reading glasses or prismatic eyeglasses, which provide high-powered magnification to will the effect of the central blind spot and facilitate reading.

Can I Watch TV With Macular Degeneration?

Just as with many kinds of visual impairments, macular degeneration renders the images on the screen blurred and distorted. Therefore, patients with macular degeneration may do the following in order to help them see the screen better:

• Sit closer to the TV
• Buy a TV with a very large screen and sharper quality for clearer images
• Use magnifying television glasses or other low vision aids to magnify images on a TV

At Low Vision of New Mexico, we offer a wide range of low vision glasses, aids and devices for you at our Albuquerque low vision center.

Can I Use My Phone With Macular Degeneration?

Patients with macular degeneration often find it difficult to use their phone. If you have this condition, you may have to move your mobile device closer to your eyes in order to see words or images clearly. Alternatively, you can magnify fonts in your phone’s settings. Our low vision center will provide you with low vision glasses to enhance your vision, making it easier to use your phone.

Can I Recognize Faces with Macular Degeneration?

Another serious challenge one can face as a macular degeneration patient is to clearly see faces. The loss of central vision may cause images, objects, or faces to appear blurry, even when situated in front of you. Low vision glasses and devices will help you recognize and see faces more clearly.

Contact Us Today

If you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration, we want you to know that you can improve the quality of your life and regain independence. Contact us today at Low Vision of New Mexico, where Dr. Dulce Walker will speak with you and discuss the best ways to maximize your remaining vision. The low vision optometrist will carry out a comprehensive eye exam to determine your eye condition. If diagnosed with macular degeneration, we will provide you with customized low vision glasses and aids to help you regain visual activity and do the things you want to do again.

We treat patients with macular degeneration in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, and Los Alamos, and throughout New Mexico.