Kathy, aged 85, was born in Hythe and has lived her whole life in the Southampton area, including Totton, Blackfield and, for the past nine years, Dibden Purlieu. Raising five children kept her busy, while cycling 35 miles a week to and from work helped her stay fit, healthy and full of life. In retirement Kathy has remained active, enjoying gardening, knitting and painting, as well as welcoming seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren into the family!
Having always been healthy and never needing glasses, it never occurred to Kathy to visit an optician. However, during a hearing test appointment in 2021, she was offered an eye scan – an opportune moment that revealed the early stages of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in one eye. She was referred immediately to the Eye Unit in Southampton for assessment.
At the same time, Andrew Lotery, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Southampton was recruiting patients for an observational clinical trial – the £4m Wellcome Trust-funded PINNACLE study. The application for this world-leading research grant was made possible in part due to the purchase of imaging equipment funded by the Gift of Sight Appeal. Kathy’s diagnosis meant that she met the criteria to join the study, and she jumped at the chance to take part, recognising the importance of research and fearing how devastating losing her sight could be.
The PINNACLE study investigated signs of progression of AMD, and participation involved attending the clinic every three months for detailed scans. During one of these visits, the research imaging detected that Kathy’s dry AMD had progressed to the wet form. Thankfully, when caught early, wet AMD can be treated with injections to the eye. Although the idea of injections initially terrified her, Kathy soon found out that they were nothing to worry about, and she now reassures others that they are completely painless.
Thanks to prompt and regular treatment, Kathy’s vision remained stable.
Over the years Kathy has also been diagnosed with glaucoma in one eye and, more recently, with cataracts that were beginning to affect her focus. These are also being treated at Southampton Eye Unit, and she jokes that she’s “trying out the full suite of care” available there.
Although she now needs good lighting and larger font to read, and knitting has become more challenging, Kathy still loves to spend time in the garden. She is very appreciative of her remaining vision which allows her to retain her independence.
Kathy speaks warmly of all the staff she met throughout her treatment and the trial, praising the doctors and nurses as “just lovely”. Having now completed the PINNACLE trial, she looks back fondly on the people she met and is grateful for the research taking place. She says it’s “brilliant to have all this research going on” and would urge her younger self – and everyone else – to visit the opticians regularly, so that any early signs of sight-threatening conditions can be picked up before they progress.
