5 Things You Didn’t Know about Macular Degeneration

What Is Macular Degeneration Caused by Age?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive eye condition that can lead to blindness. In people over the age of 60, it is the leading cause of serious, permanent vision loss. It occurs when the macula, the tiny central part of the retina, wears down. The retina is the back of your eye’s light-sensing nerve tissue. Age-related macular degeneration is the name given to the condition because it develops when people age. It rarely results in blindness, but it can cause significant vision problems so you should get Macular Degeneration Treatment. Stargardt disease, also known as juvenile macular degeneration, is a form of macular degeneration that affects children and young adults.

1) There are two types of Macular Degeneration

There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration:

Dry Form

The macula of people with this condition may have yellow deposits called drusen. A few small drusen do not affect your vision. However, as they grow in size and number, they can dim or distort your vision, particularly when reading. The light-sensitive cells in your macula grow thinner and gradually die as the disease worsens. You could have blind spots in the middle of your vision if you have the atrophic type. You will lose central vision as this worsens.

Wet Form

Under the macula, blood vessels sprout. Blood and fluid leak through the retina via these blood vessels. Clear lines appear wavy because your vision is blurred. Blind spots and a loss of central vision are also possible. The bleeding from these blood vessels gradually forms a scar, resulting in irreversible loss of central vision.

The dry form of macular degeneration affects the majority of people, but it can also contribute to the wet form. The wet type of macular degeneration affects just about 10% of people with the disease.

If you have macular degeneration, you can keep a close eye on your vision and visit your eye doctor on a regular basis so they can advise you if you should go for surgery under a eye surgeon.

2) Symptoms of Macular Degeneration

You do not experience any symptoms of macular degeneration at all. It may not be diagnosed until it has advanced to the point that both eyes are affected.

Macular degeneration can cause the following symptoms:

• Vision that is blurry or hazy. It’s possible that your vision is distorted, making it difficult to read fine print or drive.
• In the middle of your vision, there are dim, fuzzy regions.
• Color perception can be bad or different in rare cases.

If you have any of these signs, schedule an appointment with an eye doctor as soon as possible.

3) Macular Degeneration Causes and how Macular Degeneration is Diagnosed?

Causes

Macular degeneration caused by age is more common in the elderly. It is the most common cause of serious vision loss in adults over the age of 60. It’s likely that the genes play a part in macular degeneration. Your risk will be increased if anyone in your family has it. Smoking, having high blood pressure or cholesterol, obesity, eating a lot of saturated fat, being fair-skinned, female, and having light-colored eyes are all risk factors.

Diagnosis

Age-related macular degeneration may be observed during a routine eye test. Drusen (tiny yellow spots under your retina) or pigment clumping is one of the most common early symptoms. When the doctor tests your pupils, they will find these. Your doctor might also ask you to look at an Amsler grid, which is a checkerboard-like pattern of straight lines. You may note that some of the straight lines are wavy, or that some of the lines are missing.

These symptoms may indicate macular degeneration. If your doctor suspects age-related macular degeneration, you can undergo an angiography or an optical coherence tomography (OCT) procedure. Angiography is a procedure in which the doctor injects dye into a vein in your arm. They take pictures as the dye passes into the retina’s blood vessels. The images will display the exact location and type of new veins or vessels leaking fluid or blood in your macula. OCT can see fluid or blood under the retina without the use of dye.

It’s important to see the eye doctor on a regular basis if you want to catch symptoms of macular degeneration early. Treatment may help to delay the progression of the disease or make it less severe.

4) What Type Of Macular Degeneration Treatment is Available?

Macular degeneration has no known cure. However treatment can help you avoid losing too much vision or slow it down. Among your choices are:

• Anti-angiogenesis drugs are medications that inhibit the growth of new blood vessels. Aflibercept (Eylea), bevacizumab (Avastin), pegaptanib (Macugen), and ranibizumab (Lucentis) are drugs that avoid blood vessels from forming and leaking in your eye, triggering wet macular degeneration. Many people who took these medications were able to regain vision that had previously been lost. It’s possible that you’ll need this care many times.
• Laser therapy is a form of treatment that involves the use of Abnormal blood vessels developing in your eye can be damaged by high-energy laser light.
• Photodynamic laser therapy is a form of laser therapy that uses light to build Your doctor injects verteporfin (Visudyne), a light-sensitive drug, into the bloodstream, which is absorbed by the abnormal blood vessels. The drug is then triggered by your doctor shining a laser into your eye, causing the blood vessels to be damaged.
• Low-vision aids are available. These are devices that use special lenses or electronic systems to magnify images of objects in the immediate vicinity. They support people with macular degeneration in making the most of their remaining vision.

New therapies for macular degeneration are being investigated by researchers, but they are still in the experimental stage. They are as follows:

• Submacular surgery is a type of surgery that is performed underneath the eyes. This technique prevents any irregular blood vessels or blood.
• Translocation of the retina. A procedure to dissolve abnormal blood vessels under the macula’s heart, where your doctor can’t safely use a laser beam. Your doctor will move the middle of your macula away from the abnormal blood vessels and into a healthier region of your retina during this operation. This prevents scar tissue from developing causing further damage to your retina. The abnormal blood vessels are then treated with a laser by your doctor.

5) What Is the Prognosis for Macular Degeneration Patients?

Age-related macular degeneration causes only a small percentage of people to lose their vision completely. Their central vision may be compromised, but they are still capable of performing several everyday tasks.

The dry form of age-related macular degeneration develops slowly, allowing you to retain the majority of your vision.

The wet type of macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss that is permanent. If it affects both eyes, it can have a negative impact on your quality of life. Wet Macular may need macular degeneration treatments repeatedly. Regularly test your vision and listen to your doctor’s advice.