'A Place in the Sun might make me go blind': Jasmine Harman on the genetic weakness that has blighted her mother's life

By Richard Barber for MailOnline
Updated: 19:27 EST, 1 May 2010

Her arms are bronzed and her hair is golden from the enviably hot locations where she spends her time filming.

But Jasmine Harman, the 34-year-old presenter of A Place In The Sun, Channel 4's overseas house-hunting series, is extremely wary of the sun.

For in her family runs a pernicious and common eye disease, and it can be exacerbated by strong sunlight. 

jasmine harman

Careful: Jasmine now keeps in the shade while on location and wears sunglasses and a hat when in direct sunlight

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the principal cause of vision loss in the UK. It affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows us to see fine detail, gradually destroying the sharp central vision required, for example, for reading, watching television and driving.

Three million people suffer from it in the UK, about five per cent of the population. 

The exact cause of AMD is not known, but there are a number of risk factors. It can be hereditary, but it also becomes more common with advancing age, with women more prone to it than men.

Smoking has been linked to the development of AMD, while some research suggests that lifetime exposure to sunlight can affect the retina.

On a more positive note, there have been studies that indicate that some vitamins and minerals can help protect against AMD.

'I was in the Nevada desert not long ago and the sun was dazzling,' says Jasmine.

'When I was a silly teenager, I never liked wearing sunglasses because of the faint tan lines they'd leave on my face. Now I would never go out in the strong sunshine without wearing sunglasses and a sun hat.

'But then I'm much more vigilant about the health of my eyes. If they feel at all dry, I'll use drops to rehydrate them. And I always shield them when I'm filming and having to stare into the sun. 

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Jasmine with her mother Vasouo;a, whose sight is failing

'I spend much of my time in bright sunlight, which increases the risk of contracting AMD, so anything I can do to keep it at bay, I will,' she says. 'My eyes are so important to me. I'd do anything to protect them, especially given my family history.

'My Greek-Cypriot grandmother, Maria, was diagnosed with AMD in her mid-60s,' explains Jasmine.

'She was a remarkable woman, arriving in the UK in 1957, a young widow with four small children and little English. But she was a talented seamstress who managed to put food on the table as a result of her dressmaking skills.'

Maria's deteriorating sight in her later years was a source of considerable distress.

'She had what is known as dry AMD and there's no cure. By the time of her death just before Christmas 2008 and two weeks ahead of her 80th birthday, she was registered blind although she had some peripheral vision.'

Dry  -  or atrophic  -  AMD results from atrophy to the layer of pigment beneath the macula, leaving yellow deposits that impair vision.

Wet AMD is a vascular condition in which abnormal blood vessel growth leads to protein and blood leakage below the macula and, if left untreated, rapid loss of vision.

'I was spending most of my time abroad for four years,' says Jasmine. 'Every time I came back to the UK, my grandmother was having more difficulty with her sight. It was so upsetting. 

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Family: Jasmine as a child, left, with her mother, back, and grandmother Maria. Seated is great-grandmother with Jasmine's sister Maria

Special lamps, magnifying glasses and a phone with large numbers made life a bit easier. But she was fighting a losing battle.

'Despite her age and background, she was an enthusiastic fan of computers. She liked to email family in Cyprus or use Skype so she could talk to them and see them, too.

'But the keyboard proved increasingly difficult to use because the letters and numbers are relatively small, while moving a mouse round the screen became almost impossible because she couldn't see the cursor.'

Maria was recommended to have a detailed scan of her eyes. 'By then there was very little they could do because the condition is irreversible.

'She was given prescription sunglasses to wear over her vision glasses when the light was bright. But she retained a resolutely positive outlook.

'She and my mother have dark skin, but my father is English so I'm much fairer. My lighter features put me at higher risk although my mother's side of the family is naturally dark so the condition only differentiates between skin, hair and eye colour up to a point.

'One of my brothers has the same skin tone as me so he may be vulnerable, too.

'I was surprised that my grandmother's optician didn't tell her that AMD is often hereditary  -  I discovered this only when I researched the condition on the internet. I was shocked to discover it was so common.

My grandmother described AMD as having a black hole in her vision but it's only as I've read more about the disease that I've understood what she meant. I was appalled when I learned that the most common type  -  dry AMD  -  was incurable.

'I found it difficult to take on board that my grandmother's eyesight would only get worse.'

Now Jasmine's mother, Vasoulla, 55, is having problems with her vision, too. Jasmine is determined to break the hereditary chain.

'If anything good came out of what happened to my grandmother, it is that it has made me super-vigilant over my eyesight  -  I couldn't bear to end my days blind. I constantly nag my mum to take proper care of her eyes before it's too late.'

Vasoulla admits: 'My eyesight is deteriorating. I should have been to see an optician before now. Since I turned 50, I've had trouble focusing.

'It's as if I see an image twice, once with each eye, and then have trouble bringing them together in a single image. And I'm finding it increasingly difficult to focus on small print.'

Vasoulla has not yet been diagnosed with AMD but is due for tests. In the meantime, she takes Ocuvite Complete, a supplement containing Vitamins C and E and the minerals zinc and copper  -  which have been shown to contribute to ocular health.

'I feel zealous about promoting good eye health,' says Jasmine. 'People go to the dentist once or twice a year to check that all is well and yet they don't take as much care over their eyes.

'No one wants to lose a tooth but that's nothing compared to losing your sight.

'I see my optician once a year at least. I've worn contact lenses since I was 16 but my eyes haven't deteriorated at all. When I last went, he said my eyes were healthy and functioning well but that's because I look after them.'

Nick Lee, consultant opthalmologist at the Western Eye Hospital in North-West London, explains that although AMD cannot be prevented, its progression can be slowed.

'There is no test to find out whether a person might develop AMD but there are things you can do to detect its early onset and reduce deterioration,' he says. 'A regular eye check is top of the list, particularly if you are older.

'A simple way to find out if one or other of your eyes is deteriorating is to cover each in turn with your hand and see if you notice any change from the last time you tried the test.

'Heavy smokers and the obese might be more vulnerable to the condition. With summer coming, everyone should wear sunglasses. Those with brown lenses are most effective.'

Jasmine also recommends another simple test to check your vision is sharp. 'Print off something called an Amsler Grid from the internet. Look at it in a good light and if you can't see the pinpoint in the middle or the lines appear in any way wavy, that could be the early signs of AMD, so head for an eye test without delay.

'If she'd lived long enough, my grandmother would have liked nothing better than to make my wedding dress when I got married last summer. But the sad truth is that it's a labour of love she wouldn't have been able to perform.

'By the end of her life, she'd had to give up her crochet work, something she so enjoyed doing.

'If I have it in my power. I'm not going to let the same happen to me.' 


How to spot the warning signs of AMD


How to spot the warning signs of AMD


  • Dry AMD develops very slowl. Many people find that vision slowly deteriorates by gradual central blurring, and that the colours fade away like those in an old photograph. There is no medical treatment.
  • Wet AMD is the result of new blood vessels growing behind the retina, causing bleeding and scarring, which can lead to sight loss. This can develop quickly and may respond to treatment in early the stages. It accounts for about ten per cent of AMD cases.
  • AMD involves both eyes  -  but one may be affected long before the other.
  • The disease does not cause pain.
  • At the onset, central vision may become distorted, with objects looking an unusual size or shape and straight lines appearing wavy or fuzzy. Sufferers can be very sensitive to light or actually see lights, shapes and colours that are not there. AMD affects the centre of the retina, so those with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch or dark spot in the centre of their sight. This makes reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.

www.rnib.org.uk


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