Early symptoms of dry macular degeneration typically include blurry central vision with straight lines appearing wavy or there being a dark spot in your field of view; peripheral (side) vision usually remains unchanged.

The “wet” form of AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid and blood, leading to faster central vision loss than dry AMD.

Laser Therapy

Age related macular degeneration affects the central portion of your retina called the macula and causes blurry but never total blindness, with peripheral parts remaining unaffected by this condition. There are two stages to this condition known as Dry and Wet Macular Degeneration respectively. Dry macular degeneration is more commonly encountered; its formation typically results from deposits called drusen under the retina that gradually grow over time and cause retinal damage (intermediate macular degeneration). Left untreated this form can progress quickly to Wet Macular Degeneration which causes rapid vision loss over time (wet macular degeneration).

The wet form of macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina and leak blood, leading to rapid vision loss or blindness. One effective treatment option for wet macular degeneration is injecting anti-angiogenic drugs like Eylea (aflibercept), Lucentis (ranibizumab) or Avastin (bevacizumab). These injectable drugs help block growth of new vessels while stopping their leakage beneath retinal layer.

Laser therapy may provide another approach for managing wet macular degeneration and can serve as an adjunctive measure. Laser light is directed into the eye, targeting newly formed blood vessels with targeted laser beams; it is performed in-office and typically painless; it may reduce severity of vision loss but will not restore central vision completely requiring additional treatments to restore.

Macular degeneration patients must schedule routine eye examinations with an eye care provider to monitor its progression and increase your chance of maintaining vision preservation. Be sure to request dilation of pupils so your eye care professional can get an in-depth view of your eyes’ interior; additionally, your provider may give an Amsler grid that you can use at home to test vision quality.

Anti-angiogenic Drug Injections

Age related macular degeneration often progresses more slowly and doesn’t cause as severe vision loss. An eye doctor can detect dry form degeneration during a dilated eye exam by noting any thinned areas on retina (macula).

Peripheral vision remains undamaged by macular tissue degeneration; you should still be able to see details, colors and straight lines without difficulty. But as macular tissue wears away, your central or straight ahead vision may become clouded over with blurriness, dimness or darkness; these areas are essential for reading and driving safely.

Though there is no cure for dry form macular degeneration, there are treatments which may slow its progress. Antioxidants and zinc supplements have been found to significantly slow disease progression – available as pills which can be taken daily as directed.

FDA recently granted approval of Macugen as an effective treatment for wet form age-related macular degeneration, an eye drug which blocks proteins which cause new blood vessels to form. Clinical trials demonstrated this medication’s promise and showed patients who took part lost less vision than those who did not receive it.

Eye professionals administer this medicine directly into the eye to stop new blood vessels from forming and stop leakage from abnormal ones that lead to wet macular degeneration. The injection takes place in a special office designed for this procedure and should be relatively painless. Antiangiogenic drugs take only minutes to take effect and require no special care afterwards, except if your eye becomes irritated which can be corrected with eye drops. Complications are quite low with antiangiogenic injections having a successful track record; repeat as necessary in order to control wet macular degeneration onset; they can even be combined with treatments like verteporfin photodynamic therapy for maximum effectiveness and safety against AMD.

Nutritional Supplements

Macular degeneration is a condition in which the macula, located at the central portion of the retina, gradually breaks down and vision loss occurs, the leading cause of legal blindness among adults over 55 years old. Macular degeneration symptoms include blurry vision and an apparent central blank or dark spot in your field of vision. This condition occurs when yellow deposits known as drusen form beneath your retina, leading it to gradually degenerate. No cure exists for macular degeneration; however, nutritional supplements may slow its progression and improve vision in some individuals. Studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of taking high doses of antioxidant vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, E, beta carotene and zinc; other nutrients, including lutein meso-zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring flax seeds or walnuts has also proven helpful.

Macular degeneration comes in two forms, wet macular degeneration (AMD) and dry AMD. While its exact cause remains unclear, dry AMD may be caused by macula breakdown or degeneration and deposits of waste materials beneath the retina – symptoms which do not lead to vision loss unlike wet AMD which involves abnormal blood vessel growth that leak blood and fluid into the macula, leading to rapid vision loss over time.

Wet macular degeneration may be treated by injecting specific medications directly into the eye to inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth and reduce bleeding in the macula. These anti-angiogenic drug treatments (Macugen, Avastin and Lucentis) block an enzyme in your body responsible for this phenomenon; thus halting its spread to your eye. Studies have proven this treatment method can slow progression of wet macular degeneration as well as restore vision in some patients; your ophthalmologist will determine an appropriate dosage based on your condition.

Stem Cell Therapy

Macular degeneration is an age related condition that leads to blurred central vision. This progressive disease can eventually cause complete loss of vision; specifically it targets the macula (a small area on your retina that controls central vision). Macular degeneration occurs at the center of your field of vision making it hard for reading, driving or seeing faces as well as distorting and warping peripheral (side) vision (periphery vision) remain normal.

Dry macular degeneration cannot yet be cured; however, there are treatments available to slow its progression such as dietary supplements and laser treatment. Antioxidant vitamins such as vitamins C and E, lutein and zeaxanthin have been found to lower risk of advanced macular degeneration; studies have confirmed taking such vitamins can significantly slow progression rate of people suffering from dry AMD.

Treatment for wet macular degeneration has seen incredible advances over the past several years. Intravitreal injections of new anti-angiogenic drugs such as Eylea (aflibercept), Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab) can block abnormal blood vessel growth within the eye while restricting leakage from those vessels, providing significant visual improvement while slowing vision deterioration over time.

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has initiated a clinical trial to test the efficacy of stem cell therapy in treating injuries from trauma. The trial utilizes human pluripotent stem cells as part of its effort to regenerate muscle tissue after severe injury.

Stem cells are special cells in our bodies with the potential to form many different kinds of tissues, from blood to skin to bone cartilage and muscle. They can also trigger natural healing responses. Stem cells come from two sources: embryonic stem cells found within an early blastocyst and adult mesenchymal stem cells found throughout bone marrow – these latter ones possess mesenchymal properties which allow them to differentiate into specific repair cells that can repair damaged tissues.