As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, my dad has macular degeneration (MD). He’s over 80. And before he finally admitted he couldn’t see well enough to drive (he can’t tell the difference between a pigeon and a pheasant 30 metres away) I had to threaten to report him to police if he even tried to drive – as he was planning a 400 mile round trip!
I noticed this story in the Napa Valley Register, which includes a local man suffering from the condition.
The NHS gives a useful explanation of the problem:
Macular degeneration is a painless eye condition that leads to the gradual loss of central vision (the ability to see what is directly in front of you). Central vision is used while:
- reading
- writing
- driving
Macular degeneration occurs when the macula (the part of the eye that is responsible for central vision) is unable to function as effectively as it used to.
Macular degeneration does not affect the peripheral vision, which means that the condition will not cause complete blindness. The peripheral vision, sometimes known as “side vision”, is the outer vision.
This sums up my dad’s condition perfectly. It is also worth pointing out that one form of it is progressive – it gets worse as you get older. And it affects about a third of the over-75s.
The guy in the Napa story is 85 and has diagnosed MD. That’s important: HE HAS MD . As a result he was required to take a driving test to assess his ability to drive, and he failed. He believes he was failed unfairly and was discriminated against based on age. In his own words:
They’re thinking it’s an age problem and eye problem. I don’t think it’s so much of an eye problem as an age problem.
Sometimes, words almost fail you. He can’t see what is directly in front of him – and it will get worse – and he claims he doesn’t have an eye problem! He claims age discrimination.
Just remember that Napa is in California. Birthplace (allegedly) of such concepts as suing people for serving you hot coffee, suing software companies for packing disks in “too large” boxes, suing Disneyland staff for taking their masks off, and so on. This is where lawsuits of the future come from. Allegedly.
People with MD shouldn’t drive.