A support group for people living with the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK has marked its first anniversary of helping local people.
Having launched in November last year (2023), the Lanark Macular Society Support Group has played a key role in bringing people together with macular disease, and fighting the fear of loneliness and isolation associated with the condition.
The support group reformed to meet every first Wednesday of the month from 11am at the St Nicholas Church Hall, and it is a chance for people with macular disease to socialise, gain confidence and learn how to adapt with sight loss.
Overseen by leading sight loss charity the Macular Society, Lanark group member Agnes Borland explained how the group became her avenue for support, years after her own diagnosis. Ms Borland, who has an untreatable condition called dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), said: “I went to it because I wanted to meet up with people who had the same kind of problems as me, and I do believe that if you've got problems and you talk to people, that's when you discover that you're not the only person living with this. I always feel that going to any kind of group and discussing things and hearing about things is always beneficial. It’s never wasted.”
Following her diagnosis in 2016, Ms Borland of Rigside, was told there was no further medical support for her, that she was going to lose her sight, but she did not know about the mental and wellbeing support offered by charities such as the Macular Society. She has since been referred through the hospital route and as a result was registered sight impaired, before an advert in her local paper advertised the launch of the Lanark support group towards the back end of 2023. Thanks to the support group, Ms Borland has discovered devices to help with everyday living too, as her sight has deteriorated.
She said: “I don't think my sight is as bad as a lot of other people’s but I do find it difficult nowadays. However, by going to the meetings I was able to get a device which talks back to me, because I can’t read anymore. I do have little magnifiers that I can use maybe for the headings and letters. You get to hear about all these different types of things that may help you, so by going to these support groups, you never know how it’s going to help you, as I say it’s never wasted being a part of a group.”
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected and many more are at risk. AMD is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 54,000 people in Scotland – 700,000 across the UK. The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement.
Macular Society regional manager for South West Scotland, Aoife Mooney said: “Despite the challenges of sight loss, I’m so proud of the wonderful people in and around Lanark who have made this support group such a welcoming and friendly hub. It’s heartwarming to see the difference it makes by bringing people together and watching them grow in confidence as they live a life with macular disease. The support group has grown from strength to strength and our doors are always open to new member and their friends, family or carers.”
For more information about the Lanark support group or to become a volunteer, contact Aoife Mooney on 07586 168 803 or email aoife.mooney@macularsociety.org For more information on macular disease, call the Macular Society on 0300 3030 111 or email help@macularsociety.org
