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“I WORRY THAT I might not be able to see anything eventually.”
Almost 100,000 people throughout Ireland are suffering from a chronic sight loss disease and a new photography project is showing people what it’s like to live with the condition.
Fashion photographer Barry McCall has worked with four individuals to create a visual narrative about life with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
AMD is not as well-known as other eye diseases such as cataracts or glaucoma. However, it’s the leading cause of sight loss in people aged 50 and over in Ireland, with 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year in that population.
The disease causes the gradual loss of sight due to blurring or loss of central vision. It’s chronic disease and it can’t be cured, but early detection and treatment can prevent any further deterioration.
McCall captured each individual’s passion as seen through their eyes to show how AMD has impacted their lives. The portraits vary from early stages of the condition – blurred or wavy vision – to advanced stages, which manifests as a large black mark in the central vision.
[image alt="AMD Awareness Week 08" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/09/amd-awareness-week-08-296x197.jpg" width="296" height="197" credit-source="Andres%20Poveda" caption="The%20See%20The%20Whole%20Picture%20collection%20of%20portraits%20by%20photographer%20Barry%20McCall.%0A%0A" class="alignnone" /end]
One individual who took part in the project, Margaret Critchley, spoke to TheJournal.ie about how she discovered she had AMD and the impact it has had on her life.
“I was actually ironing the stripy shirts my husband had on a Sunday evening and I wondered why it was looking wavy. The stripes on the shirt looked wavy, which sounds crazy,” Critchley said.
“I just thought that I was really pretty tired. I didn’t think any more of it and I was in work looking at notice boards and I thought that they looked sort of crooked,” she said.
Critchley put one hand over her left eye and it was then that she realised her right eye was acting up. She headed to her opticians that night and from there she was immediately referred to the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin for tests.
Despite regular check-ups, Critchley didn’t receive a formal diagnosis for a number of months. It was then that she received laser treatment, but the damage was already done.
[image alt="AMD Awareness Week 04" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/09/amd-awareness-week-04-296x197.jpg" width="296" height="197" credit-source="Andres%20Poveda" caption="The%20portraits%20illustrate%20how%20an%20individual's%20vision%20can%20become%20distorted%20by%20AMD%20and%20hope%20to%20serve%20as%20a%20reminder%20to%20all%20to%20have%20their%20eyes%20tested%20for%20AMD%20regularly.%20%0A" class="alignnone" /end]
Often undetected
The symptoms of AMD can often go unrecognised, and therefore healthcare professionals say it’s crucial that people over 50 get their eyes tested regularly so it can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
AMD affects the macula at the back of the eye, which is responsible for central vision and allows you to see detail.
There are two types of AMD – dry and wet.
Dry AMD is the most common (80-90%) and the mildest form of the condition. Very often patients with dry AMD maintain good central vision. There’s no known cure for the dry type, but progression can be slowed by stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet rich in leafy green vegetables, and looking after cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure.
Wet AMD is caused by leaky blood vessels inside the eye. It’s less common than dry AMD but it can cause more rapid loss of vision. It’s responsible for 90% of the cases of severe vision loss. Once it’s diagnosed and treated early, however, as much sight as possible can be saved.
Critchley was diagnosed with wet AMD. Once she was diagnosed, she received laser treatment, but the damage that was already done was irreversible.
“Once the damage is done, it’s done. I have the stress and worry of thinking I might not be able to see anything eventually, which may still be the case,” Critchley said.
Speaking of how to keep an eye out for symptoms, Critchley explained what to be cautious of: “It depends on how progressed it is but at the early stages you might just notice something looking slightly bent or misshapen. It’s not just a sharpness thing, it’s a distortion, edges won’t be as straight as they should be.
People who have a more advanced version of the condition describe it as looking through a mist, you know things aren’t as sharp as they should be.
“It’s not something that you necessarily realise is coming on. There’s no pain attached to it. If you go for regular checks it can get picked up so quickly and you can get whatever treatment is required.”
[image alt="AMD Awareness Week 09" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/09/amd-awareness-week-09-296x197.jpg" width="296" height="197" credit-source="Andres%20Poveda" caption="McCall%20worked%20with%20four%20individuals%20living%20with%20AMD%20to%20create%20a%20narrative%20about%20life%20with%20the%20condition.%0A%0A" class="alignnone" /end]
The See The Whole Picture photography exhibition has been created to support AMD Awareness Week which runs until Saturday 30 September.
Speaking about why he decided to get involved in the campaign, McCall said: “Vision is often something we take for granted, something we think will always be there.
“I want to help raise awareness because my sight is my craft, I don’t know what I would do without it.
Working with people who have never let their condition get in their way was inspirational. I didn’t just photograph them, I wanted to capture their personalities and portray their strength.
“Hopefully their courage to share their stories will encourage others to get tested this week,” he said.
Now in its 10th year, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the condition and encourage the public to avail of a free AMD eye test, to improve knowledge and understanding of the condition, so it can be diagnosed as early as possible.
The Novartis AMD Mobile Testing Unit is travelling around Dublin, Waterford, Limerick, Galway and Cork this week to provide free eye tests. A full list of venues and times can be found here.
The pension scam is crazy. A sligo C.C. retired in 2013 & received around 290.000 euro retiremant pension ,along with 90.000 p.a. Then came out of retirement in 2014 to work for IW at100.000 p.a. no doubt when he decides to retire again he will get another big fat pension! He was a bloody useless C.C. also, squandered 80 million & said “A sure nobody’s died” THIS MUST STOP!!
Hubert Kearns. He ran Sligo C.C into the ground and was rewarded with a golden parachute in spite of his incompetence and subsequently rewarded with a plum job with the super-quango…. in management! Another reason I won’t pay these jokers; add John Tierney to that too.
I understand it was €600k of a payout but I am happy to be corrected.
He left a deficit of circa €80m – the biggest in Irish CC history.
He was then appointed to a role in Irish Water ( interview process ??)
I try not to let things get me angry anymore but this rrrreallly grinds my gears !
I’m convinced that these civil servants get so handsomely rewarded, even after incompetence, because they must have huge dirt on politicians and other senior execs. Cut the inflated pensions for these gangsters and the whole house of cards comes tumbling down
Well Larry……..it appears Hubert was just perfect for a job in IW and an interview was just a mere formality as they were looking for someone who can’t count.
What ever about their inflated salaries, the pension benefits for TD’s are scandalous. And it’s shocking that they can accept them of feel them justified given the current times we live in. They should be told by us, the people, that it’s just not acceptable.
All politicians pensions should be reviewed
McCreevy was overawed after meeting an Economic Rockstar.
McCreevy spent rode the economy like a groupie and spent like he was a rockstar.
Fianna Fail politicians have collected 37,ooo,ooo in pensions since 2011 . Ray Burke over 400,000 . How does that make you feel ?
Absolutely sick to my stomach.
And the worst thing is we’ll vote them in again,
@DonalC – other people will vote them in again. Not me, not a hope in hell.
Tearing my hair out. Frothing at the mouth.
We should be applying a levy to the pensions to retired politicians.
Any chance noooonan will bring in emergency legislation to stop and recover pensions to td,s ministers and taioseach,s who lied,colluded with big business and got their friends jobs (cronyism).No I thought not.
Dermot Ahern 600,000
Stop his pensions…. He’ll sing like bucking bird….
The lack of accountability for the utter mess that is our economy is the most frustrating thing for me. You have overcrowded A & E wards, kids not getting cancer medicine and cuts to funding for the most marginalised in the society while bluffers like this guy and Ahern hide away, insulated from it all, as their bank accounts swell. Roisin Shortall is right about the golden circle at the top of Irish society between politicians, media moguls, property developers and accountancy and legal firms. One big cosy cartel that really doesn’t care about anything else than it’s own self-fulfillment as the rest of the nation struggles with long waiting times at hospitals, overcrowded schools, a crap public transport system and bills for things we’ve already paid for.
It’s sad that we are all funding the cosy cartel, that they are perfectly happy to exploit us and the saddest thing of all – nothing will be done about it, it will continue indefinitely. Fine Gael is exactly the same with opportunists and chancers like Phil Hogan to the fore. And the truth is, if any of us found ourselves in the cosy cartel then what would we do? Would we think of the greater good or keep schtum, go with the flow and continue to line our pockets. It’s just the nature of the beast. Ireland is corrupt because decision making is in the hands of so few, the systems for accountability are underfunded, the hatred of the informer prevails, the public are generally apathetic to it and the media is too meek/narrow/dependent on government for stories/owned by rich guys.
Check out Vincent Browne last night.
http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/41/0/0/
The accounting big accounting firms have huge responsibility when it comes to Ireland’s and Europe’s financial mess.
They’re running the show.
Doctoring the books, making the rules, pulling the wool over inept politicians eyes.
The buck starts and ends with them.
Cormac Butler.
He’s opening the nation’s eyes to what actually happened.
Brilliant guy.
Absolute chancer.
Now now we can’t be blaming Fianna Fail for the financial disaster.
https://youtu.be/psFpg7FDS4I
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/ireland
Ff fg labour are to blame for this it happened under their watch
Cos under SF it would be better?
Thought McCreevy was very credible witness. Awful pity Ahern shafted him.
Anyone watch Vincent Browne last night?
Panelist Cormac Butler (Financial Advisor).
http://www.tv3.ie/3player/show/41/0/0/
This guy is providing the most amazing insights into Ireland’s banking collapse.
Amazing character, calm, cool and collected.
Brilliant insights into how and why it happened.
Last night he put Charlie McCreevy under the spotlight and the former minister did not emerge with any credit whatsoever.
If you want to know what really happened during Ireland’s and Greece’s banking collapse then watch this programme.
Cormac Butler.
The most important voice on our financial matters currently.
I can’t recommend this highly enough.
Cormac should be heading the banking inquiry.
If he was justice would be done.
@Noah
Yes he’s excellent. Been on a few times now, 21 May and 16 June also. Links on his twitter page (@Cormacbutler)
Cheers.
Blew me away last night.
Such clarity such precision.
As commented earlier Noah, was really impressed with this guys analysis last night too. And your right, those in the know certainly new what a screw up they were creating, and of course doing as much ‘can kicking’ as possible to maintain the status quo and avoid responsibility while ‘Rome’ fell. And what’s more, the all the advisers we’re getting paid handsomely whatever the mayhem they left in their wake. And Greece is feeling this too.
Didn’t see your earlier post Martin.
Guess we’re both singing from the same hymn sheet on Cormac’s contribution to the debate.
@noah, completely agree, he was a breath of fresh air and explained a purposely complicated system brilliantly while exposing horrible greed at the top of society.
I saw this piece too, Butler was very revealing, very matter of fact, I learned a lot from his clear explanations. 10/10 Cormac Butler
Interesting telly last night on VinB learning how the protocols of big 4 accountants permitted the deflection of loss (and possible reckless lending) two years on from the published accounts. The most significant news in along time which illustrates clearly that all connected with banking, politics and financial regulation knew all could never have been possibly well, come the day of the guarantee, and that an even bigger banana skin lay a head. Reckless beyond belief, when you can’t even trust those ‘academically bright intellectual people’ not to screw- up, or at worst con an unsuspecting populous. Hope the media latch on to this for all its worth.
This cowboy is the main culprit in the property clusterfck we’ve been through.
They are still really delusional when it comes to how they think the managed this country in their time.
They were either lining their pockets all the while knowing it couldn’t be sustained which is criminal. Or, they were just that incompetent which is criminal.
On a separate note I see there are no comments allowed on the Denis O’Brien story.
Imagine he was a member of the Traveling community, the Journal.ie would explode!
They were censored Ted.
They were comments for a while but when people started stating facts about the man then they were all deleted and comments blocked. We really need an actual news app that allows comments in this country. Maybe I’ll start a crowd funding page to set one up.
I look forward to hearing about the first defamation case and quickly your “app” would disappear..
Bubble,bubble,pension double,treble,quadruple,
Sweet Jesus..just read the pay offs for bankrupting a country..real GUBU..
Oh look Pearse Doherty actually did a good job and got some actual truth outta the man… No I’m not surprised Hugh didn’t write this.
Jesus wept….
‘Earlier in the meeting, McCreevy said the infamous quote of “If I have it, I’ll spend it” linked to him has been misrepresented.’
Proof that FF should never be let anaywhere near power again. They can’t even own up to what they said, never mind what they did. In other words they’ve learned nothing.
He said it was misrepresented, not that he didn’t say it
Minister for Finance:
Are the balance sheets for that bank OK?’
Well known accounting firm paid 4 million for four days auditing:
‘Yes Minister – everything is fine’ (sub text – according to our methodology which hides huge inevitable losses coming down the road)
Minister for Finance:
‘Thank goodness – appreciate your professional help – here’s four million for four days work’.
Well known accounting firm:
Laughs all the way to a different bank.
The real “guilty” party responsible for everything that happened. He quite literally didn’t have the first clue about running an economy. A veritable child let loose in a sweet shop completely unsupervised.
I’ve said it all along white collar crime pays ..
McCreevy is absolutely right-hand way no property bubble and there was no battle of Waterloo ,no Great War no Holocaust and there is no denial by cronie , corrupt Irish politicians.Kenny and the Blue Shi-ts did not raise taxes either.
Difficult guy to question,yet more forthcoming than most. That said, He will have a couple of uncomfortable moments and then walk back to his retirement happy that he is seemingly beyond any censure of any kind. Makes you wonder the point to all this.If there is even a chance of getting someone to admit wrong doing or something of an illegal nature,one wonders how long it will take to act on that.The expense of these enquiries are hardly worth it and the idea of them in the first place has been shackled by those who know well that the house of cards will fall if the enquiry had real teeth…..It is just a soap opera with little real hope of success….more tax payers money wasted.
I think it is worth it though. Of course the likes of McCreevy walk away from it. But at least his celarly failed attempt to deny any responsibility goes on the record for all to see. People aren’t stupid. They see it for what it is.
However, Noonan mentioned criminality in the case of Dukes. What will be interesting is to see whether that will be subject to a different kind of scrutiny in a different court with different conseqeunces
when ff comes knocking for a vote remember these boys carry on with the present leader sitting beside him a shower if gangsters
McCreevy has a point about one thing – his history was completely rewritten.
He was run out of Ireland and over to Europe for daring to suggest spending cuts, being painted as a miser and a downer.
Then the bust happens and all people can talk about is how much he spent.
Anyone who seeks to blame the Bust on one cause should always remember what happened to the politician who tried to, in even the smallest way, call halt to out of control spending.
Odd how the usual suspects aren’t on commenting. Missing in action.
McCreevy was right to abolish the property tax in 1997. But budget 2000 was the biggest giveaway budget.
The bubble was being instigated as soon as Fianna Fail strolled back to power in 2002. Ive seen tv clips of David McWilliams warning against the developing bubble that date from 2003 all while McCreevy was finance minister.
Light touch regulation , thanks Charlie you shafted us for your builder and banker pals .
FF FG would lie on their death bed, poor Charlie looked a like a rabbit in headlights when he was told he could go to jail if he lied. When is visiting time.
Charles haughty got rid of macreevy coz macreevy posed a threat to his leadership macreevy was d only Uncorrupth politician in his time he should have been a leader in f/f shame on them
This the same paragon of virtue that helped set up the PDs and then at the final moment filled his trousers in fear of CJ and left Dessie and Harney high and dry.
McCreevy has selective amnesia. He presided over the worst type short sighted tax breaks especially for developers and presided over the budget surpluses but failed to save for the inevitable rain,y day or reign in spending. Government spending increased by 23% in 2001 alone whilst taxes grew by only 3.2%!
He messed up on medical cards for over 70′s and failed to properly cost certain initiatives especially tax reform most of which went south but he was he lucky guy in he right place at the right time as his policies benefitted from a combination of cheaply priced money following our entry to the Euro and of course the all important tax revenues from construction and property sales . All in all a bit of a 1 trick pony but McCreevy carried on regardless and he more than any finance minister in history of gone State totally failed to make provision for those rainy days electing instead to make false electoral promises him and his party reneged on when re-elected !
McCreevy well knew that the stock market was like a casino but NTL proceeded to gamble money set aside to make provision for the National Pension Reserve Fund purposes which bombed !
He was a bit of a buffoon , arrogant, smug and punched above his weight always . He could have stalled ‘rip off Ireland ” but chose not to instead increasing VAT to 21% an absurd level.
Glad he went to Brussels no great loss and typical in refuses to answer reasonable questions from an elected member of the Dail. Sums him up really
If Doherty could learn how properly to speak the second national language McCreevy might better have understood the question.
No one was complaining when McCreevy paid out millions to them, the media asked no questions, the then opposition asked no ‘private members’ questions on the economic measures he followed, why are they now blaming him?
They did complain. In 2000, when they complained they were labeled “leftwing pinkos” by McCreevy.
corruption at its best.
He was too busy over in cheltenham!!!
We get the politicians we deserve
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