GUIDE DOG & SPEAKER INSPIRE PROBUS
Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK
The talks held by Probus are varied and whatever the topic the committee aims to ensure they are interesting, stimulating and indeed sometimes controversial!
David, Chairman of the Group which derives its name from the first three letters of the words ‘Professional’ and ‘Business’, explained: “Our March talk, just before lockdown, was given by a hugely inspiring speaker from the Macular Society. He brought his guide dog with him – a very popular move as you can imagine – and at the end, as a one-off, we had a collection. It raised the sum of £1228 for the Society."
The Macular Society state that Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, with 300 people diagnosed every day. David continued "you may be interested to look at the website of the Society, which tells you about research they support and also offers various relevant products for sale."
The society state: "Nearly 1.5m people in the UK have macular disease. It affects people of all ages. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common condition, generally affecting people over 50. A group of rare inherited conditions called juvenile macular dystrophies can affect much younger people, including children.
The macula is part of the retina at the back of the eye. It is only about 5mm across but is responsible for all of our central vision, most of our colour vision and the fine detail of what we see.
The macula has a very high concentration of photoreceptor cells that detect light and send signals to the brain, which interprets them as images. The rest of the retina processes our peripheral (side) vision. Macular disease causes loss of central vision.
Since 1987 the Macular Society has invested over £5.1 million in 73 different research projects." Find out more about the Macular Society here.
Looking ahead, the Groups next planned speaker will be a Royal Flight pilot. Their proposed programme is complete for the rest of this year and 2021. They have a wide variety of topics on offer from top class speakers, some of whom are national figures! The subjects range from ‘Rescued by the SAS’ to '21st Century Duchess’ by the Duchess of Rutland.
For more information about their next talk click here.