11 April 2011

What Are The Symptoms Of Macular Degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) produced very suddenly either blindness or it may progress slowly. In General, AMD has slowly reduced the vision of people of 65 years and over. Symptoms of AMD begin by areas in the field of central vision, which appear to be obscure or indistinct. It can also watch as the shadows are present in this region of the vision.Two forms of macular degeneration occurs, wet and dry. The dry form, which is the most common, does not lead to as serious vision loss as the wet form which is neovascular. Neovascular means that blood vessels appeared where they ordinarily should not be. Blood vessels have joined the macula, and to cause sufferers experience symptoms.Prior condition of the patient to the wet form of the disease is progressing, it begins with the dry non-neovascular type of AMD. The first symptoms of dry AMD is drusen, yellow spots, which accumulate in the vicinity of the macula. They are supposed to be the result of the decomposition of the tissue in the eye which is deposited in and around the macula.The result of these deposits is the symptoms listed previously. Over time, 10% of patients with dry AMD see their conditions deteriorate to the wet form of the disease. Wet AMD causes more serious symptoms of macular degeneration and can lead to blindness.In the early stages of AMD, symptoms are not necessarily presented themselves, but a doctor can determine that a patient has the disease early. It can be diagnosed with the Amsler grid. This grid is composed of several lines of intersections with a point in the middle. The patient covers one eye and focuses on the dot. If the look of lines, as they are curved or disfigured or there are places on the grid which appear to be in the shadows, that are symptoms of macular degeneration.Also, when you look at the Amsler grid each eye should be able to see the four corners and four lines that make up the sides. If these can be seen correctly then they are also symptoms of macular degeneration. At this stage, it is time to make an appointment with an eye doctor for a full review.Preventing macular degeneration symptoms could be as simple as taking a supplement of antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances such as vitamins, who work to combat the negative effects of free radicals such as air pollution. Examples of antioxidants are vitamins A, C and e. These substances have been shown for those lower risk for the development of AMD. They can also slow the progression of the disease in a patient who was undergoing his symptoms.