Actress Nancy Sit almost went blind last year due to macular degeneration

Nancy Sit had difficulties reading but initially thought her contact lenses needed replacing. Photo: Filepic

Hong Kong actress Nancy Sit has opened up about her health scare last year, saying she almost went blind due to age-related macular degeneration.

This is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the centre of the visual field.

In a report on news portal HK01 on Tuesday (Aug 9), the 72-year-old shared that her eyesight began to deteriorate last year while she was filming television series Cantopop At 50.

She had difficulties reading but initially thought her contact lenses needed replacing.

She was later diagnosed with damage to the macula, which is a part of the retina, and sought treatment.

Age-related macular degeneration is divided into two types, wet and dry, and Sit suffered from the rarer and more serious wet form, in which blood vessels grow under the macula, causing blood and fluid to leak into the retina.

"I understand that many friends, like me, mistakenly think that it is normal to have blurred vision as we get older. We may be afraid of bothering our family, so we avoid going to the doctor," she said.

"My doctor told me that people with severe conditions may become blind if they delay treatment," she said, advising older folks to seek treatment early for problems with their eyesight.

She added: "When I think back on (the possibility of becoming blind), I still have lingering fears." – The Straits Times/Asia News Network