Macular degeneration occurs when light-sensitive nerves in the retina malfunction and cause central vision loss. Two forms of this disease exist – dry and wet macular degeneration.

Current treatments for wet AMD require monthly injections of anti-VEGF drugs that reduce abnormal blood vessel growth under the retina, but two year results from Vabysmo YOSEMITE and RHINE in DME and Susvimo Archway in wet AMD indicate reduced dose regimens could allow longer intervals between treatments.

Vitamins & Minerals

The retina is a thin layer of tissue located at the back of your eye that receives visual images, partially analyzes them, and transmits them to your brain. The macula is the central area of retina that enables fine details and straight lines to be seen clearly; macular degeneration occurs when this central area breaks down, making reading, driving or seeing faces difficult while peripheral vision remains largely unaffected. Although its cause remains unknown, possible contributors include age-related macular tissue thinning, deposits of pigment in macula deposits of pigment in macula or abnormal new blood vessel growth beneath retina (neovascularization).

Vitamins C and E as well as zinc have been shown to slow the progression of macular degeneration and cataracts, providing protection from free radicals and oxidizers which may damage eye cells and destroy vision cells.

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables containing beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E may help lower your risk of macular degeneration. Such foods include oranges, green leafy vegetables, berries and tomatoes.

Vitamin A is another essential nutrient for eye health. It plays an essential role in night vision and development of retina. You can get Vitamin A through dark-green leafy vegetables, carrots, squash and sweet potatoes as well as through supplements available over-the-counter.

Bioflavonoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin can help protect eyesight against macular degeneration, making tea, bilberry fruit, blueberries, oranges and red peppers rich sources. Bioflavonoids also can be found in cruciferous vegetables like kale and collard greens while spinach, kale and turnip greens contain both types.

New treatments for macular degeneration involve drugs that block abnormal blood vessel growth in the eye and have shown some promise in restoring vision. Visudyne is one such anti-angiogenic drug; it utilizes light to catalyze messenger RNA destruction, suppressing protein production and blocking formation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Avastin, Macugen and Lucentis are also anti-angiogenic treatments available.

Lifestyle Changes

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among those over 50, as it involves damage to the macula inside of each eye that causes central vision to blur, often resulting in tunnel vision. While this affects side vision – essential for driving, threading needles or reading – it does not impede front or side vision which remains useful in daily tasks like driving. Damage to blood vessels that supply nourish the macula is believed to be at the core of this issue, leading to new blood vessels forming beneath the retina that leak fluid or bleed, clouding central vision and potentially leading to blind spots. Laser surgery or photodynamic therapy that targets abnormal blood vessels to slow their growth may provide some protection from vision loss due to wet macular degeneration, but it will not restore lost vision.

Studies have demonstrated that eating plenty of vegetables, dark green and yellow fruits and antioxidant-rich diet can lower your risk of AMD by increasing antioxidants in your body. Two specific carotenoids known as lutein and zeaxanthin can be found naturally in spinach, kale and collard greens while additional supplements containing these carotenoids such as vitamin C, E beta-carotene zinc are believed to protect against macular degeneration as well.

Regular eye exams are vital in monitoring macular degeneration and other health concerns, such as UV rays. When outdoors, make sure to wear UV protective sunglasses and a hat. Your ophthalmologist may suggest low vision devices or rehabilitation programs to help adjust to decreased vision levels.

An Amsler Grid home test can detect early signs of macular degeneration such as distortion in straight lines – they may become wavy or bent – as early as 5 to 7 years after retinal injury has begun. Medical procedures like Fluorescein Angiography use harmless orange-red dye to highlight abnormal blood vessels under the retina and reveal any leaking fluid or bleeding under it that might contribute to wet macular degeneration.

Supplements

Macular degeneration is a progressive breakdown of the macula, which sits on the retina at the back of your eye and helps you see fine details clearly while performing daily activities such as driving or reading. If this important structure doesn’t function correctly, central vision becomes blurry or dark areas appear within your field of vision – though there is no cure for macular degeneration, there are ways you can slow its progress through nutritional supplements and dietary modifications.

Nutritional supplements that have been studied extensively to treat macular degeneration include lutein, zeaxanthin and zinc. According to one study, participants taking all three nutrients had significantly less severe macular degeneration. Lutein and zeaxanthin are carotenoid antioxidant pigments which act as natural filters against harmful ultraviolet radiation; taking these supplements in high doses has been associated with decreased risk of advanced macular degeneration as well as enhanced visual performance.

At an early stage of AMD, nutritional supplements may help slow the rate of vision loss by slowing the formation of new abnormal blood vessels in the retina. According to one large scientific study, those at high risk for advanced macular degeneration who took high doses of vitamins C, E, beta carotene and zinc saw their rate of vision loss decrease by approximately 25% – while these supplements won’t stop vision loss, they are an integral component of maintaining an overall healthy diet and lifestyle.

There are other nutritional supplements that may also help ease symptoms of macular degeneration, such as quercetin. This flavonoid has been shown to enhance cell membrane integrity, mitochondrial function and reduce oxidative stress levels as well as block inflammation-triggering mediators to lower risk of corneal fibrosis in conditions like Keratoconus.

Macular degeneration can be avoided or postponed by leading a healthy diet and lifestyle, including regular physical activity, low saturated fat consumption and protection from UV radiation. You should also schedule at least one annual dilated eye exam with your eye doctor, following their recommended treatment plan.

Surgery

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) damages photoreceptor cells at the back of our eyes that enable us to see, and age-related macular degeneration causes irreparable damage to them resulting in central vision loss, making reading, driving or recognising faces increasingly difficult, color vision diminishing and restricting our appreciation of surroundings. However, alternative treatments exist which may delay or reverse vision loss caused by AMD.

Retinal degeneration leads to a breakdown of retinal pigment epithelium and eventually causes blindness in people over 65, typically starting as distortion in straight lines that appear wavy or difficulty seeing faces or objects close up, before becoming progressive and eventually leading to total central vision loss in both eyes. Peripheral vision typically remains unaffected.

There are two forms of AMD: dry AMD and wet AMD. Wet AMD develops when abnormal blood vessels form in the macula and leak blood and fluid that damages retinal tissue, often rapidly. Treatment must be sought quickly as wet AMD can result in serious vision loss within weeks or months, potentially requiring permanent vision loss unless treated immediately.

Investigative treatments for ARMD are currently under study, including portable and home technology that allows individuals to monitor the progression of the condition more closely, supplements that can slow the onset of disease, testing improved diagnostic procedures, and exploring strategies to increase retention of vision as it declines.

One of the most promising new advances is Susvimo, a refillable ocular implant designed to deliver ranibizumab continuously in wet AMD (neovascular AMD). Installed during one outpatient procedure and refilled every six months, Roche Group’s Genentech subsidiary announced that Susvimo received approval from FDA to market this implant whose name comes from Latin and means “to give hope”. 2-year results of Vabysmo YOSEMITE and RHINE studies in DME as well as Archway Study for wet AMD also confirm its potential; long intervals between injections may allow this approach which offers greater freedom from treatment options than previous approaches offered.