What
is Macular Degeneration?
Age-related
macular degeneration (AMD) is a disease
that causes vision
loss primarily in people after
sixty, though sometimes striking as
early forty. The disease causes damage
to the macula, a component of the
retina. The deterioration of the macula
impacts the center of a person’s
visual field, making detailed tasks
more difficult but rarely causing
peripheral vision loss or complete
blindness.
There
are two forms of macular degeneration.
The more common and less serious form
of the two is dry macular degeneration.
In the dry form, the macular tissue
thins as the patient gets older. Central
vision can be lost, but the effects
are usually fairly mild.
Wet
macular degeneration is not as common
but is usually more debilitating.
The disease causes blood vessels to
form beneath the retina. These new
vessels leak fluid and blood, creating
a large blind spot in the field of
vision.
What
are the symptoms of macular degeneration?
Early
symptoms of macular degeneration may
include:
- Faded or altered appearance of
colors
- Distortion of straight lines
- More peripheral acuity than central
What are the treatments
for macular degeneration?
Dry
macular degeneration has no substantiated
treatment methods. Zinc supplements,
antioxidants, and increased UV protection
in sunglasses are measures that some
believe may help prevent the disease.
The
primary treatment for wet macular
degeneration is surgery. Surgery cannot
cure the disease, but it can slow
its progression. For moderate cases
of wet AMD, laser surgery is often
used to destroy the intruding blood
vessels at the back of the eye. This
surgery is only effective before the
vessels have grown under the macula.
If vessel growth has progressed this
far, their destruction may do more
harm than good.
For
more advanced stages of wet AMD, doctors
usually turn to another surgical method
called photodynamic therapy. In this
procedure, a light-activated drug
is injected into the patient’s
arm. The eye surgeon then shines a
laser into the patient’s eyes.
The laser is not intense enough to
damage tissue on its own. But it activates
the drug – which by this point
has dispersed throughout the bloodstream.
The activity causes cellular damage
and thrombosis of the blood vessels,
a positive effect in this case. The
destruction of the blood vessels can
prevent further vision loss.
Even
if surgery is not an option, low-vision
aids can help macular
degeneration patients feel less
inhibited in their daily activities.
These typically use magnification
and a light source to make detailed
tasks easier. Low vision aids are
usually designed for a specific purpose,
like reading or watching television.
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