Macular degeneration, which affects the macula, is one of the main causes of severe vision loss among older adults. There are ways to slow or stop its progress through diet, smoking cessation and getting regular eye exams.

An early detection test for macular degeneration is known as a dilated exam. Your eye doctor injects fluorescent dye and takes pictures of your retina during this procedure in order to look for signs of wet macular degeneration such as leakage from blood vessels.

1. Eat a Healthy Diet

Macular degeneration is an irreversible condition that causes blurry central vision, yet there are steps that can be taken to slow its progress and preserve healthy eyesight. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables and taking nutritional supplements may help ward off macular degeneration while keeping eyesight optimally functioning.

The macula is responsible for our ability to see fine details of objects directly in front of us – known as central vision – which allows us to drive, read, cook and work. While early signs of macular degeneration do not usually cause noticeable symptoms, if your central vision becomes blurry or straight lines appear curvier or wavy it is important that you contact an eye doctor immediately as this could indicate wet macular degeneration which occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow and leak fluid into the macula resulting in rapid loss of central vision.

Diets low in saturated fats and high in fiber may help protect against macular degeneration. Opting for complex carbohydrates over simple ones will also lower risk, since complex carbs are digested more slowly by your body, helping avoid sudden fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Also important are eating a variety of fruits and vegetables for their vitamins and minerals; such as C, E, beta-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin/zinc and copper are all needed for good health.

Other ways to protect your eyesight include not smoking and engaging in regular physical exercise. Furthermore, regular eye exams are important in spotting any early signs of macular degeneration (such as deposits called drusen in the retina). By making these simple adjustments you can protect your vision and continue living your life fully!

2. Exercise Regularly

Age may play an integral role in macular degeneration risk; however, other modifiable factors are available that you can control to lower that risk. Quitting smoking, eating healthy diet with plenty of green vegetables and fish, maintaining normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels and exercising regularly could all significantly lower AMD risks.

One study involving 3,800 participants concluded that adults who exercised three times weekly were 70 percent less likely to develop macular degeneration compared to inactive participants. While the methodology of this particular research study may have been questionable due to use of “vigorous” exercise (which could be interpreted in various ways), and its lack of long-term follow up, multiple other studies have demonstrated how regular physical activity can help slow or prevent age related macular degeneration progression.

To keep your eyes healthy, try some easy exercises at home or work to strengthen and hydrate them. Focusing away from finger to something further away can strengthen the muscles within the eye; practice rapid blinking to hydrate eyes more regularly; or challenge vision by tracing an imaginary figure 8 around a room as part of a seated challenge to improve focus.

Start making changes now to protect your eyes and improve quality of life; you’ll be glad you did! If you have any queries about macular degeneration prevention, reach out to the experts at OCLI; our friendly team is dedicated to helping you look and feel your best! Our comprehensive services include routine exams, prescription eyewear solutions and treatment for vision-related disorders.

3. Avoid Smoking

Cigarettes increase your risk of age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease affecting the central portion of retina known as macula. It’s a painless progressive disease that gradually worsens over time until central vision gradually dissipates over time – making reading or driving difficult and decreasing fine details in faces and objects. Smoking doubles this risk.

Damage caused by macular degeneration often results from abnormal deposits of pigment accumulating in your retina’s blood vessels, interfering with their proper function and causing leakage of fluid into your eyes – leading to wet AMD, an advanced and potentially blinding form of macular degeneration which affects 20 percent of people who have it and is most prevalent among those aged 50 or above as well as those with family histories of macular degeneration.

Prevent macular degeneration by eating healthily, staying physically active and wearing sunglasses/broad-brim hats to protect from UV rays; additionally, make an effort to attend annual eye exams; these steps may slow or even reverse AMD progression if already present.

Some nutritional supplements may help prevent early AMD from progressing to more serious stages, including vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, copper, lutein and zeaxanthin. Discuss with your doctor which are right for you. Additionally, your ophthalmologist may perform a fluorescein angiogram – this involves injecting dye into your arm before taking pictures of your eye in order to search for leaky blood vessels – to help determine whether wet form macular degeneration exists or not.

4. Get Regular Eye Exams

Though no guarantee can be given of perfect 20/20 vision for life, taking some simple steps can significantly lower your risk of macular degeneration eye disease. Eating a diet rich in leafy greens and omega-3 fatty acids; quitting smoking; exercising regularly – these all are integral parts of staying healthy both inside and out! Additionally, attending comprehensive medical eye exams regularly is key as this allows your ophthalmologist to detect early symptoms of macular degeneration, making treatment simpler.

Macular degeneration begins in your retina, the delicate nerve tissue at the back of your eyes that converts light into visual images. The center portion is known as the macula, where fine details can be seen clearly. Dry macular degeneration occurs gradually without pain as yellow deposits known as drusen form under your retina, leading to central vision thinning and distortion; wet macular degeneration, however, is more dangerous as it involves leaky blood vessels leaking beneath it that cause it bleed and blur your sight suddenly.

Regular eye exams are the cornerstone of macular degeneration prevention. Your ophthalmologist can conduct a dilated eye exam to check for retina and macula damage, testing your distance vision with a standard eye chart and an Amsler grid; both may detect irregular lines, missing or distorted lines, black spots in your center vision and black spots at various distances from you. In addition, optical coherence tomography or fundus photography tests provide detailed photographs of your retina and macula that could also detect damage.

5. Wear Sunglasses

As well as quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, wearing sunglasses and hats may help protect against macular degeneration. Such protective measures help mitigate against UV rays and blue light that are linked to macular degeneration; plus a good pair of shades will come equipped with filters designed to block out light pollution or the sun altogether.

Macular degeneration occurs when the macula, the central portion of your retina, deteriorates over time, leading to blurry or dark spots in your center vision. While usually progressive over time, wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), caused by abnormal blood vessels leaking blood or fluid into your macula quickly enough for rapid loss of central vision to take place faster – it is harder to treat than dry AMD.

Studies suggest that certain vitamins and minerals, particularly antioxidants such as zinc and copper, may help slow or prevent macular degeneration, including oysters, green leafy vegetables, sunflower seeds and nuts. It’s wise to speak to an eye care provider regarding whether supplements would benefit you specifically.

Special glasses can help improve the vision of those living with macular degeneration at any stage. In its early stages, yellow-tinted lenses may help decrease light brightness while diminishing distortions and blind spots characteristic of macular degeneration; low vision specialists can evaluate symptoms to provide you with a prescription for these lenses. In advanced macular degeneration cases, prismatic lenses may be helpful in diverting light around damaged macula areas to allow proper sight.