Eye Disease Macular Degeneration Symptoms

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eye disease macular degeneration symptoms

Macular degeneration occurs when the retina — the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of your eye that detects light — deteriorates over time. Ninety percent of people suffering from macular degeneration have its dry form, which results in gradual vision loss over time and leaves yellow deposits known as drusen build up under their retinas.

An eye exam with dilation can detect early signs of macular degeneration. Your doctor may ask you to view an Amsler grid which contains straight lines that appear wavy (an Amsler grid).

Blurred or hazy vision.

Blurry vision can be an indicator of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), an eye condition which causes central vision loss. AMD is the leading cause of blindness among people over 60 and involves damage to the macula, an important area within the retina that allows patients to see fine details and straight ahead. Furthermore, it plays an integral part in facial recognition, driving, reading, and reading comprehension.

Blurred vision can be caused by many different conditions, but sudden blurriness should prompt an eye care provider for an exam. Refractive errors such as astigmatism or hypermetropia often occur and can be corrected using eyeglasses or contact lenses; other potential sources include computer strain or presbyopia which typically occurs after age 40 and requires multifocal glasses or surgery as treatment options.

Dry macular degeneration often begins with blurry vision, marked by yellow deposits under the retina called “drusen.” Their appearance determines which stage and severity level a patient’s disease has reached.

Macular degeneration often progresses without any discernable symptoms, but once wet AMD appears hazy spots may begin appearing at the center of their vision causing loss of central vision as well as depth perception issues that make distinguishing objects in front of them difficult for patients.

sudden blurred or hazy vision can be an indicator of various conditions, such as stroke or trauma or brain tumor. To properly diagnose such situations, visit an eye care specialist who can conduct an eye exam using specialized tools such as retinal blood vessel scans and opto nerve scans; additionally they may utilize an Amsler Grid test in order to ascertain severity and recommend treatment strategies.

Difficulty recognizing faces.

Macular degeneration can make it hard to recognize people’s faces or see fine details, as its damage affects your central vision and makes distinguishing colors or shapes difficult. People affected may also struggle adapting to dimly lit environments and find it challenging driving or navigating indoors without needing overhead lights.

The macula is a small area in the back of your retina that contains millions of light-sensing cells, providing essential central vision functions like reading, driving and other activities requiring good central vision. Due to this function, macular degeneration typically only reduces central vision while not impacting peripheral (side) vision significantly.

There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is the more prevalent form, as clumps of yellow deposits known as drusen appear beneath the retina and don’t usually lead to any vision loss in its early stages; if they expand large enough they could start damaging your macula and lead to advanced AMD.

Wet macular degeneration may be less prevalent but can be more serious. With wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels form underneath the retina and leak fluid or blood, leading to rapid vision loss. Your doctor can spot this type of macular degeneration through dilated exam and optical coherence tomography OCT testing where dye is injected into vein in your arm and images scans are conducted in order to locate new blood vessels under your retina.

Macular degeneration is a progressive condition that can result in vision loss; however, treatment options may help slow its progress and enhance quality of life. Your doctor can recommend various prescription and nonprescription drugs and nutritional supplements which may assist such as antioxidants from the vitamin C family such as lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc to combat macular degeneration.

Loss of central vision.

Macular degeneration is a condition affecting the central portion of your vision. It’s caused by cell degradation in your retina that transmits images directly to your brain for detailed vision, making things seem blurrier or fuzzy in this area of the visual field. You may experience difficulty reading, driving or recognising faces as your central vision blurs and may also look wavy or fuzzy; but macular degeneration doesn’t lead to total blindness because you still retain peripheral (side) vision capabilities.

Regular eye exams are important because macular degeneration often goes undetected for quite some time. Eye care specialists can detect early signs of macular degeneration through retinal scans and photos; this allows them to catch it early enough that treatment may slow or reverse its damage more effectively.

About 90 percent of those affected with macular degeneration have the dry form that results in gradual vision loss over time, while 10 percent suffer from wet macular degeneration which can cause more rapid and severe vision loss. Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina that leak fluid or blood, creating blurriness or distortion to central vision and blurriness of central vision.

Your doctor can diagnose wet macular degeneration through an angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT) examination. These procedures use dye-saturated photographs with special lighting to detect whether new blood vessels have formed under your retina and whether these new vessels are leaking blood or fluid; without treatment, macular degeneration can advance rapidly and lead to irreparable vision loss.

Macular degeneration cannot yet be cured, but medications and treatments may slow its progress and enhance quality of life. Speak to an eye care specialist about what would best fit you – regular medical attention, healthy diet and lifestyle changes like not smoking can reduce further eye damage as can regular eye exams if there is a family history of macular degeneration.

Difficulty reading.

Age-related macular degeneration often manifests itself with central vision loss and reading difficulty. People living with this condition may find it easier to use dim lighting or magnifying glasses to read for long stretches, or read in dimly lit conditions if their lines appear crooked.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the primary causes of blindness among Americans over age 60. It occurs when the macula, located at the back of the eye, starts to break down due to age or risk factors like smoking, obesity, high blood pressure or cholesterol, family history of AMD etc.

First signs of macular degeneration typically manifest themselves through gradual loss of central vision, as light-sensing cells in the retina gradually cease functioning correctly and result in gradual haziness that makes details harder to see clearly. Regular eye exams with your doctor are important in order to detect early stages of macular degeneration – one such test involves using an Amsler grid test – arranged like a checkerboard grid pattern to spot any changes early.

85-90% of cases of macular degeneration fall under the category of dry. At this stage, vision may become blurry or distorted as yellow deposits known as drusen accumulate beneath the retina and build up beneath. A few drusen may not cause any noticeable change; however, an increasing number of them indicates an increased risk for advanced macular degeneration.

Advanced or wet macular degeneration involves abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the retina that leak fluid or blood, a potentially more serious type of macular degeneration than its dry form due to rapid vision loss. Wet AMD often starts off as dry macular degeneration but may progress more rapidly over time.

Photodynamic therapy may help slow the progression of wet macular degeneration and restore vision in some people, though this form of treatment is currently only available for certain people. It could provide hope in their struggle against vision loss.

About the Author:
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Alexander Suprun

Alex started his first web marketing campaign in 1997 and continues harvesting this fruitful field today. He helped many startups and well-established companies to grow to the next level by applying innovative inbound marketing strategies. For the past 26 years, Alex has served over a hundred clients worldwide in all aspects of digital marketing and communications. Additionally, Alex is an expert researcher in healthcare, vision, macular degeneration, natural therapy, and microcurrent devices. His passion lies in developing medical devices to combat various ailments, showcasing his commitment to innovation in healthcare.

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