Macular Degeneration : The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight [Paperback]

Lylas G. Mogk M.D. (Author), Marja Mogk (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1999

15.5 million Americans have age-related macular degeneration.
The disease will strike 200,000 more people this year.
It is the most prevalent cause of vision loss in the western world.
And most people have never heard of it . . . until now.

Dr. Lylas Mogk, the founding director of the Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center of Michigan and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Low-Vision Rehabilitation Committee, has a unique professional and personal understanding of macular degeneration. A doctor and loving daughter of a parent with this frightening though manageable condition, Mogk here explains the ailment and how to take steps to limit its effect on your life. Reassuring and comprehensive--complete with illuminating first-person stories of people with ARMD--Macular Degeneration will help you or someone you love with the newest information on

- Reducing your risk factors
- Experimental treatments and research
- Coping with depression and frustration
- Visual rehabilitation to help you read better, see better, and live independently
- What families and friends can do to help
- Eye-healthy recipes that could help save your eyes

Plus a special appendix listing national vision and self-help organizations to contact for information and support!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An outstanding book -- not only educational but inspirational. The book not only describes macular degeneration along with current treatments and prevention approaches, but also deals with the stresses that face people with macular degeneration and how the author herself deals with her father's low vision. Congratulations to Dr. Mogk and her daughter, Marja, for writing such an outstanding book.
Joel A. Kraut, M.D., Medical Director
Vision Rehabilitation Service
Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary
Harvard Medical School

From the Inside Flap

15.5 million Americans have age-related macular degeneration.
The disease will strike 200,000 more people this year.
It is the most prevalent cause of vision loss in the western world.
And most people have never heard of it . . . until now.

Dr. Lylas Mogk, the founding director of the Visual Rehabilitation and Research Center of Michigan and a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology's Low-Vision Rehabilitation Committee, has a unique professional and personal understanding of macular degeneration. A doctor and loving daughter of a parent with this frightening though manageable condition, Mogk here explains the ailment and how to take steps to limit its effect on your life. Reassuring and comprehensive--complete with illuminating first-person stories of people with ARMD--Macular Degeneration will help you or someone you love with the newest information on

- Reducing your risk factors
- Experimental treatments and research
- Coping with depression and frustration
- Visual rehabilitation to help you read better, see better, and live independently
- What families and friends can do to help
- Eye-healthy recipes that could help save your eyes

Plus a special appendix listing national vision and self-help organizations to contact for information and support!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1 edition (March 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345425987
• ISBN-13: 978-0345425980
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Guide Saved My Father's Life, November 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Macular Degeneration : The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight (Paperback)

This is a beautiful book and I think it saved my father's life. Not only that, but he could read it with vision loss. The print is bold and well spaced, so with his 20/80 eyesight he could read it. We both read it because we got relatively little help from his doctor and there was so much good information -- the first really clear explanation of macular degeneration that I've seen, recipes and a prevention plan for me, a whole rehabilitation program for my father, and a whole section on emotional coping. This book is so well written that it is really one of the most touching books I've read -- very practical but very moving. I want to thank the authors from the bottom of my heart -- I think they have really helped my father to keep his spirit and extent his life. Everyone should read this book. It's a mistake not to.

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for anyone interested in macular degeneration!, July 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Macular Degeneration : The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight (Paperback)

Anyone who has recently been diagnosed with macular degeneration, or who has a family member or friend with MD, will treasure this book by the Mogks. It was one of the first books on the subject I read after my doctor told me I had early dry MD in one eye. I was terribly upset to be suddenly faced with a future totally different from what I'd expected. When I picked up the Mogk book, my attention ws immediately riveted by Dr. Mogk's description of her father's happiness and independence despite late-stage MD. This was what I needed to hear: that people could be happy and retain independence in the face of low vision. That very positive beginning is an excellent way to pull the reader into what for most people is an unfamiliar medical problem.

As I read further, my first impression of "Macular Degeneration" as an invaluable resource for those who have the disease was reinforced. The Mogks approach the subject of MD from a problem-solving perspective as well as from a professional point of view and from Dr. Mogk's father's experience. The book is very well organized, and the appendices are chock full of good resources for readers to pursue.

Dr. Mogk also discusses ongoing research, letting readers know there is a keen interest within the medical-scientific community in macular degeneration and other retinal diseases. As I read of the various efforts afoot, I felt a sense of hope that before too long there will be effective treatment for this devastating disease that affects one-third of those over 75 and also younger people.

The message I came away with after finishing the book is that there IS life after MD, and it can be a good one. I enthusiastically recommend this book to everyone who has MD.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Book to Date on Age-Related Macular Degeneration, August 10, 1999

By 

Judith Delgado, Director, Macular Degeneratio... (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Macular Degeneration : The Complete Guide to Saving and Maximizing Your Sight (Paperback)

Patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD)are hungry for information about this eye condition, which is the leading cause of legal blindness in people over age 60. This volume is a wonderful reference book for anyone dealing with AMD. Dr. Mogk not only provides valid medical information, but also dispenses useful tips for day-to-day living. The chapter on low vision aids is particularly helpful. She and her co-author write in an engaging, warm and personal manner. Her own experience with AMD in her father lends a note of credibility. She obviously cares for her patients and is anxious to give people the knowledge they need to deal with this devastating eye disease. I recommend it highly to anyone who has macular degeneration or is helping a family member or friend.