February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month

February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, and it is a very fitting time for me to start writing my own blogs.  For those of you who have been my patient over the years (WoW!!  It has been 18 years since I opened my practice up cold in Weaverville)- you know how important it is here for us as a team at Optix Eye Care, that we educate you about prevention for this devastating disease.

I had the privilege of serving at Mission’s Low Vision Center for 7 years, and that experience drove home for me a passion for prevention.  I saw patient after patient with vision loss and the impact that had on the quality of their life- not to mention how greatly it impacted their family and caregivers.

I believe it is my purpose on this earth to hopefully make a difference in our community to get the word out about the macula and how to keep it healthy for a lifetime. 

My profession is sacred!!  I get to look into people’s eyes and witness a miracle.  I absolutely never get tired of it.  However, every time I look into a person’s eyes and view their maculae, I hold my breath.  I am just waiting to see changes that may already diagnose them with ARMD, or I see precursor signs of the disease.  ARMD is NOT a normal aging process.  It used to be a disease that only affected the elderly.  Unfortunately, I am seeing this disease in younger and younger people.  My youngest is 19 years old!!!  I see it every day and multiple times each dayL

Did you know there is actually a way to tell if you are at risk for developing this disease long before your eye care physician can see precursor signs?  That is my goal… and that is the true heart of preventive medicine… stay tuned for more details on this later….

ARMD is more prevalent than Parkinson’s disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s COMBINED!!  What?!#%!  It is becoming an EPIDEMIC.  How do we respond to an epidemic?  Education and prevention.  That is my gift to you!!!  I am here to serve you and help you know what you can do to protect your precious sightJ

Each week this month I will reveal to you important ways you can make the most impact in protecting your maculae.  I especially want for you to know what a great experiment we are living in right now with the overwhelming addition of blue light that we are exposed to each and every day…. and our kids are at the most risk.  It absolutely frightens me for the future of our kid’s eye health.

Before I go… I truly want to thank my team at Optix Eye Care!!!  I am so grateful for each soul that is in my midst every day.  I also want to thank my patients for their trust in us for taking care of their eyes.  It is the biggest complement when our patients send their family and friends to us.  Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

It is my desire to get out in our community and share my expertise in prevention for macular degeneration.  I would love to come to your place of business, school, meeting…. whatever….  If you are interested in learning more, please contact Kristen:  [email protected]

In Good Health!

Dr. Kim Walters