What Is Dry Macular Degeneration?

(AMD) macular degeneration is a growing problem that affects more than 1.75 million Americans and is the main cause of loss of severe vision for persons over 60 years. Macular degeneration is deterioration of the central part of the retina, known as the macula. The macula is responsible for the vision sharp, detailed that a person uses for reading, driving and any task that requires the acute accent.AMD rarely causes complete blindness because it does not affect the peripheral vision of the person, but it creates significant visual impairment. The extent of the impairment vary greatly in patients. A person can have a total loss of central vision, even if another person has only a slight distortion of their central vision. It is commonly known as related to age, or AMD, macular degeneration since it is often occurs in the elderly population.The two main forms of age-related macular degeneration are the dry form and the wet form, with the dry form is more common. Dry AMD symptoms appear progressively and eventual vision loss is generally less serious. It can occur in one or more eyes. If it appears in one eye, may take more time to diagnose because the good eye will tend to offset the weak eye. Dry macular degeneration occurs when small yellowish spots called drusen begins to form in and around the macula and the layers of the retina.The existence of these spots does not necessarily entail changes in vision, but as the spots multiply and increase the size they can cause distortion of the vision or gradation, most visible in the reading. Advance of dry macular degeneration can advance and develop in geographic atrophy. This atrophy is the prolonged failure of the photoreceptors of the retina and the leading cause of severe central vision loss. Most people who suffer from the disease are diagnosed at the start of the dry form and he can develop in the wet form, but only about 10% of cases.At this time, there is no cure for macular degeneration, but there are many treatment options that can slow down the progress of the disease and perhaps stop visual impairment severe. Some of these options include vitamin supplements, laser treatment, AIDS, low vision and new drugs that are the subject of research. Researchers are investigating the surgical options but it is still in the early stages of development, are regarded as experimental. If diagnosed with macular degeneration, it is important that individuals test and verify their own vision and see their ophthalmologist regularly.

What Is Age Related Macular Degeneration?

Age related macular Degeneration is a disease of the eye which results in a loss of vision. Macular degeneration usually affects older adults. In AMD, damaging the retina results in the loss of vision in the center of the field of vision. II is one of the main causes of visual impairment in the elderly.The first signs of macular degeneration are yellow deposits in the macula called drusen. Most individuals with drusen have normal vision. Some people with drusen continue to develop the most advanced macular degeneration and others never do. Recent studies indicate that the development of drusen is sometimes associated with high levels of cholesterol. Drusen are large and soft can respond to the lowering of cholestrol medications.Generation macular changes in the Centre of the field of vision, rapid changes in Visual acuity and the difficulty in discerning colors for signs of age. Most of the individuals with the condition do not experience total vision loss. For those who have advanced AMD, loss of central vision may affect the activities of the person of daily life. For example, a person with advanced macular degeneration is perhaps not able to read or write.The causes of the age of the macular degeneration are not completely understood. It is believed that age and family history play an important role. Lifestyle factors that can play a role in the development of AMD are hypertension, obesity, high cholesterol, high in fat, smoking, and intake excessive exposure to the Sun.Although rare, AMD can advance to total blindness and make it impossible for a person to drive. People with advanced AMD may find it difficult to read and distinguish faces. Fortunately, devices exist to help people function as normally as possible, to the condition. They include things like special monitors, books, audio and computer programs modified.Currently no cure for AMD does exist, however, a large amount of research is made and it is promising. It is believed that two substances, lutein and zeaxanthin, reduce the risk of AMD. A trial is currently underway to assess their effectiveness in the prevention of AMD high risk. The results won't be available for at least three years more. Another promising piece of research shows that Omega-3 fatty acids can stop the progress of AMD in the early stages of the disease. These supplements are extremely effective in supporting healthy eyes and the treatment of this disease.Age related macular degeneration can be a devastating diagnosis. Fortunately, its progress can be slowed in many cases. Other cases of AMD can be effectively managed. This is why it is important to make the annual vision tests and those over 50 years, bi-annual reviews should be conducted, so that early diagnosis and treatment are possible.

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.