Dementia and macular degeneration?

My mother has both, and I can guarantee you that the macular degeneration has contributed to her mental decline. It's very isolating (along with her hearing loss), and people never remember to identify themselves when they talk to her. She can't see faces, and voices are hard for her to identify.

My mom was an artist and ran a library. She painted, drew, and read six books a week for her entire life, then one day there was a smear across her field of vision, and it all ended. Now about 15 years later and with her increased dementia, she no longer realizes what's she's lost, but it breaks my heart that she can't see her grandchildren's faces nor those of her own children.

Macular degeneration is hereditary, so I dread the possibility of it hitting me as well someday. It made my mother a hermit, and I have no doubt that her isolation led in a large part to her decline.

This past year I had cataracts and I noticed that I wasn't as sharp as I use to be... once the cataracts were removed, I felt so much better. Thus, there could be some relationship between dementia and eye issues for some people.

My Mom, who was in her 90's, had serious macular degeneration and she didn't show any major signs of dementia, just the usual senior moment that we get as we age. The dementia only showed up after a serious fall, in her case.

There is evidence that both auditory and visual losses can contribute to (perhaps even cause) dementia, they certainly make things more difficult for both the sufferer and their caregivers.

What’s your question?

My godmother had Alzheimer’s disease and macular degeneration. It’s hard and very sad.