In America alone, an estimated number of about three million people will be suffering from Macular degeneration by the year 2020. Age-related Macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disorder that affects the macula of the eye, which is a part of the retina, responsible for central vision.
There are two types of AMD:
1. Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• It is the most common type of AMD, covering about 85-90% of the cases
• Symptoms include yellowish spots from the deteriorating tissues of the macula of the eye
• This is caused by the deposition of pigments and tissue-thinning
• This can be prevented with regular intake of vitamins A, C, and E, as well as the
2. Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
• This is more severe of the two types and it is characterized by the growth of new blood vessels at the back of the retina that continuously leak blood and fluid into the eye.
• It is caused by the oversupply of nutrients and oxygen that unfortunately leads to vision loss due to scarring.
There are two sub-types of this type of AMD:
a. Occult Wet AMD – is characterized by a very light blood leak and less severe vision loss.
b. Classic Wet AMD – is characterized by clear scarring and a greater potential of vision loss.
Whichever type of AMD you are suffering from, your central vision looks rather obscured in certain areas. It is quite easy to detect AMD during regular eye check-ups. The doctor uses the Amsler grid to be able to measure your central vision and for even more accurate results, the blood vessels around the macula of the eye could be examined. Many still question what really causes this; a number of studies identify the normal deterioration of the tissues as the culprit, but certain researches pinpoint drugs, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, and overexposure to ultraviolet light, genetics and other factors as the probable reasons.
Prevalence
1. A patient with Macular degeneration at the age of 90 will definitely have greater vision loss compared to that of a person who is at the age of 60 years.
2. An overweight patient will be of greater risk compared to one who weighs normally.
3. Studies show that genetics has an effect on the likelihood of the person to develop AMD.
4. Smoking exacerbates any existing condition of AMD.
5. People who have lighter eye color, especially Caucasians, have a higher risk of developing the disease.
6. People who have previously taken drugs such as Aralen and phenothiazine are also in a great risk of developing AMD.
Finding a cure to age-related Macular degeneration is still farfetched, but several remedies can be taken to halt or even reverse the condition. The continuous intake of nutrients such as lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and vitamins A, C and E has proven to be effective for dry AMD; while drugs such as Lucentis, Visudyne and Macugen do a successful job of stopping growth of abnormal blood vessels.
Make it a habit to visit your eye doctor for regular eye check-ups. Do not feel hopeless just because you think you are losing your eyesight. Ask the doctor what could be done.
