Personal--Gregory Matthews

[Gregory Matthews]

I am in my 80's and in reasonably good health.  My brain is still active, even if it is somewhat diminished.  I have reasonably good physical health.  However, I am having problems with my vision.  I receive regular eye injections, which were not on my list of things that I wanted do in life.  I am aware that my published posts may contain typos that I have not seen.  I work on it, but I have not resolved the issue.  I have decided that I will not let that stop me from posting.  God does not require perfection.  If there is anything of value in my posts, God will use them despite my imperfections.

Gregory Matthews

[phkrause]

I find that everything you post to have value! So if I've not mentioned this before let me say it now, thank you for all your posts!

[Gregory Matthews]

Thank you.

[phkrause]

26 minutes ago, Gregory Matthews said:

Thank you.

Your welcomed!!

[Rahab]

Just read this….

 

sorry to hear this 

praise God that’s the only ailment 

my dad had those shots and they did help over time 

 

🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[Gustave]

I look forward to your posts Pastor Matthews! One would never guess you are in your 80's by the depth and interesting nature of your posts. May God keep you on planet for years to come! 

[Thank you--Gregory Matthews.]

[Gregory Matthews]

I get an injection in one eye for ARMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration).  That has been treatable for years.  I get an injection in the other eye for GA (Geographic Atrophy).  That is a brand-new treatment that has only recently become available.   Actuallly, there are two medications that are now available for GA.   I mention it because there may be some reading this who have GA and did not know that a treatment is now available.

NOTE:  As the above treatments are quite expensive you are likely to need good insurance coverage.  Many in the U.S. will have that coverage.

[Gregory Matthews]

For those who may have GA and are not aware of the two injections that are authorized to treat it in the u.s., the following are the two allowed injections:

1)  syfovre (pegcetacoplan):  This is the first authorized injection, which became available in 2023.

2)  izervay (avacincaptad pegol).  This is the injection that I receive.  it was approved in 2024.  It is believed to achieve a better 12-month reduction in the GA than is achieved by Syfovre. 

 

NOTE: My approach to medical care is to be an informed person.  If a physician is going to inject medication into my eyes, on a regular basis, I am going to be well informed as to the treatment plan.

[phkrause]

So let me ask you a question on this! Do they at least numb your eye/s before you get this injection?? You don't have to answer if you don't feel like it!!

[Gregory Matthews]

Absolutely.  I ask for and receive a bit more than is normal.  The actual injection may (sometimes) feel just like a small sting.  Afterwards.  my eye may (sometimes) feel a bit scratchy.  I have lubricant eyedrops at home that I can use to ease that feeling.  Sometimes (not always) I may have black spheres of the medication floating in my visual field.   They go away, sometimes quickly and  sometimes by the next morning.  By the next morning my vision has returned to my normal.  But for several hours after the injection, my vision may be limited.   I can see the broader field.   But, i  am not at the place where I can do normal reading and I stay off the computer in general.  Of course i do not drive.

[phkrause]

I recall when I had my cataracts done a few years ago they really numbed my eyes, they kept putting those drops in my eyes every few minutes or at least it felt that way. But thank God they did that because I was wondering how much I'd feel what they were doing the surgery. It didn't hurt one bit, just amazing!!

[Stan]

I recently had laser surgery on my eyes.  Different problem.   I did not realize how bad my vision was until after words 

[Joe Knapp]

On 3/15/2024 at 7:07 PM, Gregory Matthews said:

I am aware that my published posts may contain typos that I have not seen. 

There is a browser tool to spot and correct grammar issues.  Look for a plug in called "Language tool" . I use the free one.