Macular Degeneration Vitamin
What is Macular Degeneration?
More specifically this disease is called Age Related Macular degeneration (AMD). It is a disorder resulting in slow and progressive damage to an area of the eye called the macula.
There is a macula in each eye and the macula is part of the retina. This area is the most sensitive vision processing center in the eye.
The retina is the portion of the eye that sends light to the brain. The macula allows for very fine and clear vision.
The disease can occur in one eye or both; however, if it develops in one eye, there is a higher risk that it will develop in the other eye as well.
Understanding that the disease is one that is progressive is very important. Once you have been diagnosed with the illness, there is only one thing that can be done to prevent the disorder from worsening.
I'll get back to this in a moment, but first it's important to understand more about AMD.
There are two types of AMD. There is the wet form and the dry form.
The wet form consists of only about 5% - 10% of AMD cases and usually presents with some distortion of vision and lines might look wavy instead of straight.
It is caused by the formation of new blood vessels under the macula that leak; thus the wet form.
Some patients with wet AMD can lose significant vision in a very short period of time. All of the current medical therapies have been directed at the wet form of AMD.
What is Dry AMD?
The dry form is the most prevalent and is 90% - 95% of the AMD cases and is caused by the break down of the light sensitive cells in the macula. It is more slowly progressive.
The most common symptom of dry AMD is slightly blurred vision. You may have difficulty recognizing faces. You may need more light for reading and other tasks. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye while the other eye seems unaffected.
One of the most common early signs of dry AMD is drusen. Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They often are found in people over age 60. Your eye care professional can detect drusen during a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Dry AMD has three stages:
Early AMD. People with early AMD have either several small drusen or a few medium-sized drusen. At this stage, there are no symptoms and no vision loss.
Intermediate AMD. People with intermediate AMD have either many medium-sized drusen or one or more large drusen. Some people see a blurred spot in the center of their vision. More light may be needed for reading and other tasks.
Advanced Dry AMD. In addition to drusen, people with advanced dry AMD have a breakdown of light-sensitive cells and supporting tissue in the central retinal area. This breakdown can cause a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, the blurred spot may get bigger and darker, taking more of your central vision. You may have difficulty reading or recognizing faces until they are very close to you.
If you have vision loss from dry AMD in one eye only, you may not notice any changes in your overall vision. With the other eye seeing clearly, you still can drive, read, and see fine details. You may notice changes in your vision only if AMD affects both eyes. If blurriness occurs in your vision, see an eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Macular Degeneration Vitamin with high doses of antioxidants can prevent the worsening of AMD and promotes healthy eyes.
More specifically this disease is called Age Related Macular degeneration (AMD). It is a disorder resulting in slow and progressive damage to an area of the eye called the macula.
There is a macula in each eye and the macula is part of the retina. This area is the most sensitive vision processing center in the eye.
The retina is the portion of the eye that sends light to the brain. The macula allows for very fine and clear vision.
The disease can occur in one eye or both; however, if it develops in one eye, there is a higher risk that it will develop in the other eye as well.
Understanding that the disease is one that is progressive is very important. Once you have been diagnosed with the illness, there is only one thing that can be done to prevent the disorder from worsening.
I'll get back to this in a moment, but first it's important to understand more about AMD.
There are two types of AMD. There is the wet form and the dry form.
The wet form consists of only about 5% - 10% of AMD cases and usually presents with some distortion of vision and lines might look wavy instead of straight.
It is caused by the formation of new blood vessels under the macula that leak; thus the wet form.
Some patients with wet AMD can lose significant vision in a very short period of time. All of the current medical therapies have been directed at the wet form of AMD.
What is Dry AMD?
The dry form is the most prevalent and is 90% - 95% of the AMD cases and is caused by the break down of the light sensitive cells in the macula. It is more slowly progressive.
The most common symptom of dry AMD is slightly blurred vision. You may have difficulty recognizing faces. You may need more light for reading and other tasks. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye while the other eye seems unaffected.
One of the most common early signs of dry AMD is drusen. Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They often are found in people over age 60. Your eye care professional can detect drusen during a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Dry AMD has three stages:
Early AMD. People with early AMD have either several small drusen or a few medium-sized drusen. At this stage, there are no symptoms and no vision loss.
Intermediate AMD. People with intermediate AMD have either many medium-sized drusen or one or more large drusen. Some people see a blurred spot in the center of their vision. More light may be needed for reading and other tasks.
Advanced Dry AMD. In addition to drusen, people with advanced dry AMD have a breakdown of light-sensitive cells and supporting tissue in the central retinal area. This breakdown can cause a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, the blurred spot may get bigger and darker, taking more of your central vision. You may have difficulty reading or recognizing faces until they are very close to you.
If you have vision loss from dry AMD in one eye only, you may not notice any changes in your overall vision. With the other eye seeing clearly, you still can drive, read, and see fine details. You may notice changes in your vision only if AMD affects both eyes. If blurriness occurs in your vision, see an eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Macular Degeneration Vitamin with high doses of antioxidants can prevent the worsening of AMD and promotes healthy eyes.
posted by admin @ 8:50 AM
1 Comments:
At 1:10 AM,
Savannah said…
Good words.
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