We're all desperate for a miracle

"I was diagnosed 20 years ago. I was 52. I hadn’t even noticed anything, I just thought, 'Oh, it’s the glare of the sun, or something,' But I went for an eye test. With my right eye, I could see the board. With my left eye I couldn’t see a thing. Absolutely nothing.

“I went to a consultant, and he put his head in his hands, and said 'I hate my job.' And I said, 'What do you mean you hate your job?' And then it suddenly dawned on me. He said: 'You’re blind in one eye, the sight is completely gone in your left eye, and it’s also in the other eye. It’s called macular degeneration.'

“That’s the first time anybody had given me the name. I came home, and everybody I spoke to had never heard of it. Macular disease. Nobody had heard of it at all. And you think, “Why me?” But of course, when you see how many people are affected now… We’re all hoping, one of these days, they will find a pill that we can just take, and that’ll solve the problem. But I’m 73 now. And there is still no cure.

"We’re all desperate for some miracle to happen.

“Losing your sight is probably the most devastating thing, because it affects every single avenue of your life. You lose your independence you can’t see the TV, you can’t see faces. Even reading a recipe, or putting something in the microwave. Everything.

"When I was diagnosed, the consultant told me about the Macular Society and I’ve been a member for over 20 years. It has been my only lifeline."