Driving Research to New Treatments for AMD BY MARY-RUSSELL ROBERSON
A Donor Takes the Wheel with his Leadership and Support
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ecades ago, Tom Cabaniss watched as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) robbed his newly retired father of his independence. His father became legally blind in both eyes within a year and had to give up driving—a significant blow to a man who worked with and loved cars.
DUKE EYE CENTER
2021
The Role of Family History
“I saw him completely lose control of everything he worked for,” Cabaniss says. “It’s very difficult to adjust to losing your sight when you’re 60 years old. I dreaded that. I dreaded that for me.”
AMD can damage or destroy a person’s central vision, leaving peripheral vision relatively unaffected, but still making it difficult or impossible to read, drive, or perform daily activities. Risk factors for AMD include age, race (white people are at higher risk), smoking, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and having a near relative with the disease. For some people, like Cabaniss’ father, AMD progresses rapidly, while others maintain good vision indefinitely.
Last year, Cabaniss himself was diagnosed with AMD, but his experience is markedly different than his father’s, due to new treatments available at Duke Eye Center. His vision, while not perfect, has improved since he was first diagnosed and he is still able to drive and enjoy cars—which is important to him since he’s a car aficionado like his dad. In place of dread, he now feels gratitude. “I’m very lucky,” he says.
The disease typically begins when deposits build up beneath the central retina, an area called the macula. This stage is called “dry” macular degeneration. Sometimes, the disease progresses to “wet” macular degeneration, in which new blood vessels form and bleed or leak fluid under and into the retina, causing people to experience a large cloud or blind spot in the center of their vision.
