The Lighter Side of: Nearsightedness

Who knew that being nearsighted could be ultimately beneficial in the realm of Macular Degeneration?

As you may know, I was diagnosed with Macular Degeneration when I was 21 years old. Lucky for me, the disease has progressed slowly enough.
With that said, if you look at my OCT scans from 2007 to my scans taken a month or so ago, the differences are apparent.

I went to see my Ophthalmologist recently, just for a follow-up appointment, and I wanted to ask him a particular question.
I have always been near-sighted. I cannot see anything clearly without contacts or glasses unless it is directly in front of my face. My prescriptions are -4 and -4.5, with Astigmatism in both eyes, PLUS the AMD.
I really don't enjoy wearing glasses. I tend to wear them at home or when I am going to appointments, so (naturally) I feel kind of sloppy when I wear them outside the house. Putting in contacts just makes me feel more put-together. I know that it is a mind-over-matter thing, but I can't quite shake it.
Now, with Macular Degeneration, most people lose their central vision but are able to keep some or all peripheral vision. This is a huge advantage. It is still legal blindness, but there is a lot we can see with only our peripheral vision. However, the idea of me being legally blind but still having to wear *and pay for* contacts and glasses had me a little irked. So I asked my specialist if lasik could be an option for me.

Careful not to dissuade me or offer any specific opinions, what was expressed is that nearsightedness will become an asset once I lose my central vision. Using my peripheral vision to read, write, watch tv, or play music will be much easier for me if my eyes have already learned to focus on items close to my face. Those who have 20/20 vision and then lose their central vision have a much tougher time adjusting to the change.
Who knew?

'[Mother Nature] loves disguising her strengths as weaknesses' - World War Z.

In addition to that, a lovely nurse pulled me aside. She asked me to look around the office and notice all of the people working in vision care who still wear glasses. Many of these employees have free or nearly free access to lasik, but still choose to wear glasses or contacts.
These two small - but effective - little tidbits of information were all I needed to hear.

I had, essentially, gone in wanting to be talked out of it. Before I knew of my AMD, I had been saving to have my eyes fixed. I was told then that it would be dangerous with my medical history and, after telling me I had signs of AMD, pointless with a disease that would result in blindness. I simply needed to be reminded of all of the reasons not to get it done. 

The Lighter Side of nearsightedness is that it will eventually help me see better in my periphery when I lose my central vision.