Windows to the Soul

Have you ever looked into someone’s eyes?  I mean, really looked deeply into someone’s eyes?  Some people find that intimidating.  Others find it romantic.  My mom told me that she looked into people’s eyes because they are beautiful and she likes to see the emotions behind their words.  “You can tell if they’re honest, caring,” she replied when I asked.  “They’re the windows to the soul.”

I was going to ask my grandfather what he thought about eyes, but I just couldn’t do it.  The reason?  Macular degeneration.  My grandfather, the one with the great ears pictured below, has the wet form of macular degeneration.

For those of you who don’t know what that means, here’s the scoop: According to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF), macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that is the leading cause of blindness in people aged 55 and older.  It’s caused by deterioration in the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain.  The central portion of the retina, called the macula, focuses central vision and controls our ability to read, drive, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail (AMDF).

There are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry.  About 10-15% of cases of macular degeneration are the wet type.  My grandfather is in that percent.  This means that abnormal blood vessels are growing under the retina and macula.  These vessels can then bleed and leak fluid, which causes the macula to bulge or lift and distort or destroy central vision.  Under these circumstances, vision loss may be rapid and severe.  The following picture is what a person may see when he suffers from wet macular degeneration.

My grandfather can no longer drive himself around.  He was such an independent person, and in a matter of months, he lost that.  To treat his condition, he gets prescription eye injections on a regular basis.  They improve his vision, but won’t cure it.

Needless to say, I just couldn’t ask him about eyes.  I wasn’t sure how he would answer, and I honestly couldn’t bear to hear it.  It’s hard to realize that someday you’re going to have to take care of the people that once took care of you.

My mother was able to avoid the dreary outlook when I asked her.  She called the eyes a person’s best feature and I believe that.  Eyes are gorgeous.

More Information on Macular Degeneration