May is Macula Month! Designed to raise awareness of the degenerative eye disease, Macula Month encourages those most at risk (people aged 50+) to go for an eye exam and check their macula health. 

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss in Australia.  

According to the Macular Disease Foundation of Australia, one in seven people aged 50+ have signs of age-related macular degeneration. If you have diabetes and you’re over 50, you have a one in three chance of having diabetic retinopathy. 

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) 

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic and painless disease of the macula. The macula is an area at the very centre of the retina, at the back of your eye. It’s the most common macular disease in Australia. At this time, AMD is responsible for half of all blindness and severe vision loss in this country. Age-related macular degeneration causes progressive loss of central vision. It does, however, leave the peripheral vision intact. This loss of central vision affects the ability to read, watch TV, and recognise faces. But, by itself, AMD doesn’t doesn’t lead to total vision loss (black blindness). 

Diabetic Eye Disease 

Approximately 1.7 million Australians have diabetes. This includes 1.2 million with diagnosed (known) diabetes. This means an estimated 500,000 Australians have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Diabetes can affect your eyes in several ways. The most common type of diabetic eye disease is diabetic retinopathy. It’s important to know that everyone with diabetes is at risk of diabetic eye disease. 

Take the Check My Macula quiz to determine if you have any risk factors for macular disease. If someone you love, suffers from Macula Degeneration or blindness and needs support at home, call your local Right at Home office to see how we can help with home care and assistance such as companion care, personal care, nursing care and post-operative or transitional care. 

Keep up to date with COVID 19 information on the following links: 

Australian Government Department of Health 

Victorian Health and Human Services 

NSW Health 

Queensland Health 

ACT Health 

WA Department of Health 

Tasmanian Department of Health 

Northern Territory Department of Health 

SA Health 

Founded in 1995, Right at Home offers in-home companionship and personal care, and assistance to seniors (elderly and aged care), and any adult who needs our care at home including adults living with a disability who want to continue to live independently or age in their home. Right at Home is your local expert for issues related to caring for your loved ones and is dedicated to keeping you informed about home care. With no package management fees Right at Home allows you to get more care from your package or budget. 

Right at Home is a 'My Aged Care' government approved, home care provider for levels 1 – 4 and offers flexible in-home care services such as nursing care, after hospital care, post-operative care, respite care, dementia and Alzheimer's care. Right at Home also offers assistance with daily living and personal care such as grooming, hygiene, transport, shopping, meal prep, domestic services and social support, so your loved one can enjoy a more independent, vibrant life. Our nurses and caregivers are screened, highly trained, and insured prior to entering your home so you can trust us with the caregiving while you focus on your loved one. 

To find out more, please give us a call on 1300 363 802 or visit our website. 

Right at Home Offices in Australia: Adelaide Central; Brisbane Bayside; Brisbane North; Brisbane South; Brisbane West; Central Queensland & Wide Bay; Darling Downs; Far North Queensland; Gold Coast North; Gold Coast South; Greater Logan; Mackay; Moreton Bay Region; Noosa, Gympie & Hinterland; Sunshine Coast; Townsville; Central West New South Wales; Gosford; Hunter & Port Stephens; Macarthur Penrith; Newcastle; Northern Rivers; Padstow St George; Southern NSW; Sydney Central & Eastern Suburbs; Sydney Inner West; Sydney Liverpool; Sydney Lower North Shore; Sydney Norwest; Sydney Northern Beaches; Sydney Parramatta; Sydney Ryde; Sydney The Hills; Sydney Upper North Shore; Kalgoorlie Wheatbelt; Perth Como; Perth Midland; Perth Northern Suburbs; Perth West Coast; Southwest Victoria