Search is on for Ireland’s Defining Moments (AMD Week)

Competition launched as a part of 2015 AMD Awareness Campaign.

Was it the birth of your first child, overcoming an obstacle or even a career change that defined your life? Irish public asked to recall a defining moment to raise awareness of common eye disease.

• AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) is the leading cause of blindness in the over 50s¹
• Almost 100,000 people in Ireland have AMD^(1-3) with 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year ⁴
• Free AMD eye testing will be available nationwide from participating eye care providers and at the Novartis mobile testing unit which is travelling around the country during AMD Awareness Week, 14^th-20^th September
• Campaign seeks to underscore the life defining potential of getting tested for AMD

Everybody has one – a moment big or small that changed your life for the better. As a part of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Awareness Week 2015, the people of Ireland are being asked to share their defining moment stories to bring attention to this very common eye disease, and encourage those most at risk to get tested and keep their eye health on the right path.

The Your Defining Moment campaign, supported by Fighting Blindness, NCBI – the national sight loss organisation, the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO), the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI), and Novartis, is calling on the public to get involved by submitting their defining moment stories for possible inclusion in a booklet to be launched during AMD Awareness Week this September.

AMD is the leading cause of blindness in the over 50s, with 7,000 new cases diagnosed each year⁴. Almost 100,000 people in Ireland have AMD^1-3 which can lead to sight loss affecting simple everyday tasks like reading. Symptoms of AMD include; blurred vision, wavy lines or a blind spot in the centre of the field of vision.

Fighting Blindness, NCBI, The ICO, AOI, and Novartis are calling on the Irish public to look after their eyesight and get tested for AMD. These organisations are also offering free testing for AMD in participating eye care providers nationwide and on the Novartis mobile testing unit, which will be visiting Dublin, Galway, Donegal, Limerick, Cork and Waterford during AMD Awareness Week in September. More details are available on www.AMD.ie.

The Your Defining Moment eye health awareness campaign aims to highlight the positive impact, and health defining potential, of testing for AMD. Early diagnosis of AMD and appropriate treatment where necessary, can lead to a positive outcome for eye health.