I have some worries about how Macular Degeneration will affect my painting in the years ahead. When I first noticed it's effect on my vision, I thought it was simply a matter of needing new glasses but the MD diagnosis became definite when I saw an ophthalmologist instead of an optometrist.

I used to see too much when painting,  That is, I saw too many irrelevant details. So initially, it was an advantage to see less well.  I was reminded of Charles Hawthorne's advice to young painters in which he stressed "one spot of color coming against another" as more important than most other issues in putting one's painting together.   And he added at some point, "Only the farmer cares about how many windows you put in his barn". 

I went on for several years enjoying this "advantage" while taking daily pills that were supposed to slow the progression of MD by 25%.  Perhaps it's done that but it's really not possible to tell since I wouldn't know how quickly my sight might have degenerated without the pills.

Recently I've been less optimistic about any advantages that MD might provide.  In the summer of 2008, I was drawing the nude figure at a farm up in Thomaston, ME with a group of artists. (Lois Dodd, John Wissman, Nancy Widrig-Wissman, Charles Dubak)  Beautiful outdoor sessions with a very good model.  But I noticed that when Elise (the model) would move into shadowed areas I really couldn't see what was going on.  Sometimes the shadows would cover only parts of the figure.  And those shadowed areas were crucial to handling the entire figure. Fortunately the poses were very fast so many of them didn't present the same problem since she moved into other areas of the landscape, often in full sun.  Museum going is more difficult too and you can imagine the increased confrontations that I'm having with guards since I'm now need to get closer to the paintings to check out a techique that I'm curious about.  Another aspect of MD seems to be that everything reguires more light to see well than once was required.  I estimate that I have about 75% to 80% of my youthful vision.  But naturally, it's the future that I'm concerned about.  I recall William Thon (Maine artist) saying that his later stage MD was like looking through wax paper.  I don't relish that.  And I think about the blind Degas, wandering the streets of Paris unable to see to work. (Although, he suffered disillusionments beyond blindness) However he did some of his late sculpture by placing the wax figures against a light sheet that allowed him to see the silouette that he could turn for the views he needed.  Anyway, this issue crosses my mind sometimes but far from obsessively.