Macular Degeneration: A
Chronic Eye Disease
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A chronic eye disease that occurs as you age is called macular
degeneration. Your central vision is controlled by the retina
which is located on the back side of your eyeball. The macula
is a layer of tissue that is part of the retina and when it
begins to deteriorate it is called macular degeneration. There
are actually two types of this disease which are called wet
macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration.
It is important to understand that this condition only
affects your central vision. What this means is that your
peripheral vision is not affect so a patient with this
condition will not become totally blind but the central vision
can be lost. This makes it difficult to perform many normal
everyday tasks such as reading, writing, driving and even
recognizing friends and family because it can be difficult to
see faces.
Symptoms of Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration can greatly affect a person’s life and
make it difficult or impossible to do things for themselves. It
is the leading cause of vision loss in patients over sixty
years of age and it can continue to get worse as the person
gets older. There are several symptoms associated with this eye
condition.
• Blind or blurry spot in the center of your vision
• It’s hard to read print or see road signs
• You see gray or black colored spots
• You may not be able to perform task in dim lighting
Macular degeneration normally comes about in a slow gradual
way but it is possible for it to progress very quickly. When
this happens you run the risk of losing vision in one or even
both eyes.
Treatments
There are several treatments for wet macular degeneration
but the success of these treatments depends on several factors.
The sooner you discover you have this condition and begin
treatment the better your success rate will be. It will also
depend on where the degeneration is located and the extent of
the damage. Keep in mind that the damage that is already done
can’t be reversed but future damage can be prevented.
Treatments used for wet macular degeneration:
• Macular Translocation Surgery
• Photocoagulation
• Photodynamic Therapy
• Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Medications
At this time there are no treatments for dry macular
degeneration but more studies are being conducted on a regular
basis. Having this type of macular degeneration does not mean
that you will be completely blind because it usually progresses
very slowly so you can live a fairly normal life.
Macular degeneration treatments that are being researched at
this time:
• Kenalog – A steroid drug to treat swelling and
inflammation of the eyes.
• Rheophoresis – A procedure involving removing, filtering
and returning blood to the body.
Certain measures may help delay macular degeneration or in
some cases even prevent it but they are not guaranteed. It is
suggested that you take supplements and eat foods that contain
antioxidants. Protect your eyes from the suns harmful rays and
don’t smoke. It is always recommended that you get regular eye
exams so if you do develop a problem it can be detected and
treated sooner.
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degeneration and your vision
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