71-year-old skydiver raises awareness of sight loss

A 71-year-old woman from north Wales took part in a 12,000 foot skydive to raise awareness of the biggest cause of sight loss.

Janet Burton, who has age-related macular degeneration (AMD), was delighted to complete her tandem skydive and tick off the challenge from the bucket list while raising money for national charity, the Macular Society.

Mrs Burton, from Llangynog, was encouraged to undertake her leap thanks to a friend from her line dancing group.

She said: “It was the most thrilling thing I have ever done. The adrenaline rush, the wind as you freefall, it was all phenomenal.

“To everyone who has donated and supported, I just want to say a huge thank you. And I was pleased afterwards because people would ask about macular disease, or they would know someone affected.”

Thrilling

Her skydive raised £700 for the Macular Society, a UK charity which supports people with macular disease and funds research.

Mrs Burton said: “It’s why fundraising is so important. Things like the Macular Society wouldn’t be there if people didn’t fundraise, would they? And I’m thinking of a wingwalk next time!”

She has a condition called wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is caused by leaky blood vessels in the back of the eye.

Scarring occurs which leads to central vision loss, although she receives eye injections which act to stop the bleeding and slow down the progression of the condition.

She said: “I’m conscious of what I can do now and maybe what I won’t be able to do one day. But like the line dancing, I could carry that on with routines and step guides spoken out to me. And I won’t lose my sight completely, so I’ll know there are people around me.”

Mrs Burton has recently had her 50th eye injection, but in a message to others recently diagnosed, she explained they are not as scary as they might seem.

Scary

She said: “I found the idea of an eye injection quite scary but the reality is they’re absolutely fine. I don’t feel anything at all, it’s painless, well apart from a small prick sometimes but otherwise it’s nothing to think about.

“I would say to people they really aren’t as bad as you might fear and the injectors are so experienced, it’s over in a flash and of course you look away so you don’t see the needle coming.”

Mrs Burton remains positive as she keeps an optimistic outlook on living with macular disease in the future.

She said: “I am conscious of losing my sight, of course, but with all the information I get from the Macular Society, and with all the progress that’s being made and research taking place, there is a lot to feel very positive about.

“So much is being developed and discovered and on the technology side, there’s so much happening. I’ll be able to use my smartphone for different things and of course while I always hope they’ll discover a magical cure, failing that there’s always a way around something.”

Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK. Nearly 1.5 million people are currently affected and many more are at risk.

Bereavement

The disease can have a devastating effect on people’s lives, leaving them unable to drive, read or see faces. Many people affected describe losing their sight as being similar to bereavement.

There is still no cure and most types of the disease are not treatable. AMD is the most common form of macular disease, affecting more than 700,000 people, usually over the age of 50.

For more information on macular disease, call the Macular Society Helpline on 0300 3030 111 or email [email protected]

The Macular Society’s services in Wales are funded by The National Lottery Community Fund Wales, and players of the National Lottery are thanked for making it possible for people like Janet to access help and support.