Patti's story: looking to the future
Patti's story
(Patti Gill, 69)
When I was 58, I woke up one morning and had a dark cloud over my left field of vision. It took a while, but eventually I was diagnosed with an eye disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which distorts the centre of your vision. To my surprise, I found out later that smoking had probably contributed to my AMD.
I started smoking at 16, in the 1950s, and at the time everyone smoked. As an adult I always found smoking comforting. As I got older, more information became available about tobacco, and I knew I had to quit. And I tried, 15 times in 10 years. But whenever I was on vacation or at a social event, I allowed myself to smoke. Then, of course, it was impossible to stop after I started again.
Finally I picked a time to quit when I wasn't going to be going away for a while, and I succeeded. I felt better immediately -- I slept well, had more energy and could breathe easier. And a persistent cough I had went away.
AMD came along six years later, and now I have it in my right eye, too. I might have developed AMD anyway, because my mother and aunt had it, but maybe I would have gotten it when I was 80, which would be a lot different than getting it when I did, at 58. I've learned that smokers are up to four times more likely to get AMD than nonsmokers, and are even more likely if they have a genetic predisposition. Smokers who have a family history can have almost 144 times the risk! If I'd known earlier, it might have helped me to stop sooner. But AMD only gained profile in the late 1990s.
I'm 69 now. I stopped driving some time ago, and I no longer read. I have trouble seeing the faces of my friends, children and grandchildren. I'm getting treatment, and my vision has been improving a bit. I wish I had never started smoking, but I'm grateful I quit when I did, because things could have been worse.
Click to continue...
Page 2 of 3
(Patti Gill, 69)
When I was 58, I woke up one morning and had a dark cloud over my left field of vision. It took a while, but eventually I was diagnosed with an eye disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which distorts the centre of your vision. To my surprise, I found out later that smoking had probably contributed to my AMD.
I started smoking at 16, in the 1950s, and at the time everyone smoked. As an adult I always found smoking comforting. As I got older, more information became available about tobacco, and I knew I had to quit. And I tried, 15 times in 10 years. But whenever I was on vacation or at a social event, I allowed myself to smoke. Then, of course, it was impossible to stop after I started again.
Finally I picked a time to quit when I wasn't going to be going away for a while, and I succeeded. I felt better immediately -- I slept well, had more energy and could breathe easier. And a persistent cough I had went away.
AMD came along six years later, and now I have it in my right eye, too. I might have developed AMD anyway, because my mother and aunt had it, but maybe I would have gotten it when I was 80, which would be a lot different than getting it when I did, at 58. I've learned that smokers are up to four times more likely to get AMD than nonsmokers, and are even more likely if they have a genetic predisposition. Smokers who have a family history can have almost 144 times the risk! If I'd known earlier, it might have helped me to stop sooner. But AMD only gained profile in the late 1990s.
I'm 69 now. I stopped driving some time ago, and I no longer read. I have trouble seeing the faces of my friends, children and grandchildren. I'm getting treatment, and my vision has been improving a bit. I wish I had never started smoking, but I'm grateful I quit when I did, because things could have been worse.
Click to continue...
Page 2 of 3
Advertisement
