My Macular and Me

Send us your feedback In this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast, Elena Piotter, a PhD student at the University of Oxford, discusses her research project into a gene editing technique called CRISPR and how it could lead to a treatment for Stargardt disease. Her research is co-funded by the Macular Society and Retina UK. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions...

Send us your feedback For this My Macular and Me podcast we are joined by Ruth Rhydderch, an ECLO at the University Hospital of Wales. She joined us to discuss her role has an ECLO and she shares her top pieces of advice. Eye clinic liaison officers (ECLOs) offer advice on how to lessen the impact your eye condition may have on your life. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular...

Send us your feedback For this My Macular and Me podcast, we welcome Professor Andrew Lotery from the University of Southampton. He explores the rare macular condition called X linked retinoschisis. The condition is one of a number of inherited retinal diseases the Southampton team is researching. Professor Lotery provides an update on research into X linked retinoschisis and what this could mean...

Send us your feedback Dr Annegret Dahlmann-Noor, who is director of the children's service at Moorfields Eye Hospital, joins our My Macular and Me podcast to talk about myopic macular degeneration (MMD).  As well as the condition itself, Dr Dahlmann-Noor will discuss its prevalence, as well as her latest research into the condition on how to slow myopia progression in childhood and adolescenc...

Send us your feedback Living with sight loss may entitle you to extra financial support to help with day-to-day costs, but do you know what you can claim? Our mini series Bitesize Benefits will cover a range of topics related to financial and workplace support for those living with macular disease. This episode is our final episode focused on Attendance Allowance. In this episode we discuss the ap...

Send us your feedback Living with sight loss may entitle you to extra financial support to help with day-to-day costs, but do you know what you can claim? Our mini series Bitesize Benefits will cover a range of topics related to financial and workplace support for those living with macular disease. This episode is part one of two, focused on Attendance Allowance. In this episode we discuss what th...

Send us your feedback For most, taking public transport is done without much thought or stress. But, sight loss can have a huge impact on the relative ease with which most people travel. For this My Macular and Me podcast we are joined by Pete Lock, national habilitation lead at Guide Dogs, who shares his own experiences of travelling across the UK on public transport. He will also discuss tips an...

Send us your feedback Living with sight loss may entitle you to extra financial support to help with day-to-day costs, but do you know what you can claim? Our new mini series Bitesize Benefits will cover a range of topics related to financial and workplace support for those living with macular disease. Join us as we look at the recent Spring Budget announcement and explore what these updates could...

Send us your feedback Researcher Roly Megaw, a clinical lecturer and honorary consultant ophthalmologist from the University of Edinburgh and West Lothian joins us for this episode of the podcast. Roly will be shedding light on the devastating impact of RPGR gene mutations, which can cause macular and cone rod dystrophies. Join us as he unveils discoveries from his joint Macular Society and Retina...

Send us your feedback Join us for our final episode on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in our Bitesize Benefits series. In this episode we explore the final stages of the application, unravelling the assessment process and possible outcomes. This episode is the final in three, focused on Personal Independence Payment (PIP). For more information on benefits available to help those living with m...

Send us your feedback Join us for the second episode in our Bitesize Benefits series as we continue our exploration of Personal Independence Payment (PIP). We take a look at the application process and uncover valuable tips to help you with your claim. This episode is the second of three, focused on Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Join us as we explore what PIP actually is, who is entitled to...

Send us your feedback Living with sight loss may entitle you to extra financial support to help with day-to-day costs, but do you know what you can claim? Our new mini series Bitesize Benefits will cover a range of topics related to financial and workplace support for those living with macular disease. This episode is the first of three, focused on Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Join us as w...

Send us your feedback Flashing lights in vision (photopsia) or discomfort due to bright light or glare (photophobia) is often experienced by patients with Stargardt. However, little is understood about what causes these symptoms, their prevalence or the impact they can have on people’s lives. Omar Mahroo, consultant ophthalmologist and professor of retinal neuroscience at University College London...

Send us your feedback Dr Liam Sullivan, consultant ophthalmologist at Cambridge University Hospital, joins My Macular and Me to discuss lasers as treatment for patients with retinal conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions for over 30 years. The right information and support can help people overcome...

Send us your feedback Gavin Arno, senior scientist and researcher from the department of genetics at Moorfields Eye hospital joins us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast. Gavin joins us to discuss the latest advances in genomics for inherited retinal disease. Our understanding of genetics and how DNA works has grown considerably in the last decade. This understanding has transformed...

Send us your feedback For this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast, we are joined Zsuzsi Szabo, an employment manager from Support4Sight in Essex, and Gary Hawkins from Cadent Gas, along with Lee Mercer, who is living with sight loss and is sharing his experience with employment.  They discuss the barriers that employers encounter when thinking about hiring someone with sight loss, and whethe...

Send us your feedback Suzanne Roberts from the Macular Society Counselling service joins Colin Daniels for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast. We are also joined by Lesley who was diagnosed with macular disease and began using our counselling service when she felt she was at her lowest. This episode looks at the emotional impact of a diagnosis of macular disease and the support that is...

Send us your feedback For this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast we are joined an Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO). and a rehabilitation officer as they discuss their roles in supporting people with sight loss. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions for over 30 years. The right information and support can help people overcome their worries and retain their ind...

Send us your feedback For this My Macular and Me podcast we were joined by professor of ophthalmology, Noemi Lois, from Queen's University Belfast. She looks at the results of a recent trial for patients with diabetic macular oedema (DMO). The trial set out to test two types of laser for treating patients with DMO, one standard laser, which has been available for many years, and another much...

Send us your feedback Professor Andrew Lotery from the University of Southampton joins this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast to talk to us about sorsby fundus dystrophy. For further information on sorsby fundus dystrophy please visit our website: https://www.macularsociety.org/macular-disease/macular-conditions/sorsby-fundus-dystrophy/ The Macular Society has been supporting people with ma...

Send us your feedback Howard Moshtael, joins us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast to discuss his reading tool, BrightPage. Whilst doing his PhD at Edinburgh University, Howard learnt that reading with central vision loss is easier if you don’t have to move your eyes. His idea was to find a tool which can scroll text in a natural way for reading. This would not be as a continuous sc...

Send us your feedback Macular Society's research manager Geraldine Hoad and research officer Sarah Clinton join us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast to give an overview of the team and bring an update on the latest developments in macular research. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions for over 30 years. The right information and support can he...

Send us your feedback Professor Robin Walker joins us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast to discuss his team's study on the effectiveness of recommended techniques to manage visual hallucinations caused by sight loss. Do you suffer with visual hallucinations caused by Charles Bonnet syndrome?  The Macular Society runs a CBS support group via our counselling service. This is don...

Send us your feedback Professor Andrew Webster and genetic counsellor Hannah Knight join us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast to talk about understanding a genetic diagnosis of inherited macular disease and explore the benefits of genetic testing and counselling. The Macular Society has been supporting people with macular conditions for over 30 years. The right information and supp...

Send us your feedback Dr Amanda Carr, a researcher at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, joins us for this episode of the My Macular and Me podcast. Amanda is currently working on a Macular Society funded project to switch off a faulty gene in Best disease, which causes the progression of the disease. Amanda updates on the project, which, if successful, could pave the way for gene testing to be used...