Film to focus on eye disorder

Macular degeneration main cause of blindness in over-50s 

What would you do if you began to lose your sight and had to leave the job you love?
A film that shows how a family copes with a father's macular degeneration is touring the country and will premiere in Invercargill on Monday.
Ophthalmology nurse Kerry Lee has been selling tickets to the Invercargill screening of Hook, Line and Sinker and hoped the film would raise awareness of macular degeneration (MD)  in the community.
"Unless you have something to do with MD, you probably won't know much about it," she said.
"This movie will, hopefully, make people aware of it. It's a chronic condition and not something that can be cured. Once you have it, you have it, the earlier someone receives treatment the better," she said.
The disorder affects the area of best vision – the central retina – of the eye, and has two forms, wet and dry. Dry MD was slow-progressing, Mrs Lee said, and could not be treated. Wet MD could be treated to slow the loss of sight, which could include injections to the eye.
Mrs Lee said there did not seem to be a particular type of person or group affected by MD.
"It seems to cross most barriers."
Those suffering from wet MD would notice their vision deteriorating as the condition caused swelling to blood vessels under the macular, she said, but it was not known to be painful.
Optometrists can see patients and if problems are found they would be referred to an ophthalmologist, who would conduct tests, including one called optical coherence tomography. This involves a scan of the retina to allow the ophthalmologist to study the eye, picking up any abnormalities or swelling.
Mrs Lee said it was important people had their eyes checked regularly because the earlier MD was detected, the more chance there was of getting appropriate treatment. People over the age of 45 were recommended to get their eyes tested every couple of years.
It was also recommended people stop smoking and have good nutrition to reduce the risk.
Many Southlanders with macular degeneration were visiting an ophthalmologist each month.
"The bottom line is keeping on top of your eye checks, especially if you are in that older age group. I know they are expensive and are a big outlay for elderly people but they are important."
Mrs Lee hoped people would attend the screening of Hook, Line and Sinker, and learn a bit more about the condition.
Starring Geraldine Brophy, Rangimoana Taylor and Dame Kate Harcourt, the film has been described as being about "a warm and passionate family from Wellington who have to find a way to deal with the tough times when their dad begins to lose his sight and is diagnosed with macular degeneration".
"The main character, called PJ, is a truck driver (played by Rangimoana Taylor.) He values himself through his work and this story is about what happens to him and his family when that activity is taken away."
Dame Kate, who plays mother Maire, has MD and is an ambassador for the Macular Degeneration New Zealand Trust.
It is an original Kiwi film made using a method pioneered by renowned director Mike Leigh. The production was devised by directors Andrea Bosshard and Shane Loader.
"The actors individually developed characters, based on real life. They met with each other for improvisations. We recorded these over three weeks, took notes and wrote the script, from this huge resource of characters and natural dialogue," Mr Loader said.
Mayor Tim Shadbolt, Taylor and Bosshard will attend and speak at the Invercargill screening.
There will be finger food and drinks on hand in the half-hour before the film starts.
The event will be held at Reading Cinema on Monday, May 9, starting at 7pm, and tickets are $20.
KEY FACTS ABOUT MACULAR DEGENERATION

• Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50 in New Zealand
• It affects one in seven people over 50
• The prevalence of visual impairment from MD will almost double in the next 20 years
• About 25,000 New Zealanders are affected with wet MD, with up to 800 new cases a year
• Untreated, most people with wet MD become functionally (legally) blind within two years
• The cost of legal blindness because of increased falls and admission to residential care is $21,000 a year
• Visual impairment decreases the quality and length of life MD patients have more than 40 per cent higher incidence of depression than elderly people without MD
• About 50 per cent of people who have MD in one eye will develop MD in their second eye within five years
• Smokers have three times the risk of developing MD and will develop it 10 years earlier
• Only 41 per cent of New Zealanders know that MD can cause vision loss
  From the Macular Degeneration Trust website

- The Southland Times