Macular Society May Newsletter

Welcome to your May e-newsletter. Macular disease can often feel like an unknown condition among the wider public and that is why we are so grateful to you for continuing to spread the word. Thanks to your support great strides have been made over the last few years to push the importance of our eye health and highlight the devastating impact of a diagnosis of macular disease.

This month we bring you the news that two large organisations have joined The Eyes Have It partnership, a collaboration which aims to push eye care up the political agenda and improve eye care services for everyone. This is exciting news for us all which will help bring more attention to macular disease and the impact it has on so many lives.

We hope you are able to get out and about more as the weather slowly improves and will be in touch soon as Macular Week (20 to 26 June) is fast approaching!

Professional bodies strengthen campaign to improve eye care services
A coalition of organisations committed to raising awareness of sight loss and improving care for people with deteriorating eye conditions welcomes two professional bodies to its ranks.

The lights will never go out’
Bill Best, a Macular Society trustee, member and long-time supporter has shared his experiences of being diagnosed with macular disease in his late 40s, as part of a global podcast to support others struggling to come to terms with a diagnosis.

Mark inspires global company to donate to Beat Macular Disease
PanAmerican Seed, a world-leading producer of high-quality garden seeds is joining the fight to Beat Macular Disease. This year the global company will donate a percentage of its sales of trademark disease-resistant seeds, in recognition of a former colleague, Mark Chalmers with Stargardt.

Researcher hopes gene editing technique could treat Stargardt disease
PhD student Elena Piotter is looking into the possibility of correcting the faulty gene that causes Stargardt disease. She speaks about her groundbreaking project and her hopes for the future of inherited macular conditions.

What is genetic counselling and how could it help you?
Genetic counsellor Hannah Knight dispels the myths around genetic testing and why she encourages people to find out what gene is causing their condition.

Counting down to Macular Week
Macular Week is our chance to tell the rest of the world about the impact of macular disease, raise awareness of the importance of good eye health and highlight why funding research to find a cure is vital.other rare, inherited forms of macular disease.