Macular degeneration affects the central portion of retina known as macula which provides central vision. This disease causes blurriness and distortion to straight-ahead objects as well as difficulty reading or performing other visual tasks.

Fluorescein angiography will usually be performed to accurately diagnose wet macular degeneration. Treatment usually proves successful.

Age-Related Blindness

Macular degeneration occurs when light-sensitive cells of your retina deteriorate, making it the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over age 60. Though not leading directly to blindness, macular degeneration may impede everyday activities like driving and reading as well as recognize faces or perceive colors more easily. While usually caused by ageing, side effects from certain drugs, or running in families.

Macular degeneration is treatable, thanks to medication that can slow its progression, as well as by eating fruits and vegetables with dark green hues like dark leafy vegetables as well as taking various vitamins such as C, E, zinc copper and beta carotene supplements. Furthermore, sunglasses with visors should always be worn when outdoors in order to protect your vision from further loss.

To address wet macular degeneration, you may require an angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT) procedure. With angiography, your doctor injects dye into a vein in your arm before taking photographs of the blood vessels in your eye – this allows them to detect new blood vessels leaking fluid or blood underneath your retina that can then be treated with laser technology and may help restore vision.

Your eye doctor should monitor you regularly for signs of macular degeneration. They may spot early warning signals by viewing your retina through a dilated pupil and checking for drusen deposits under your retina, or asking you to look at an Amsler grid, a pattern of straight lines resembling a checkerboard; if any lines appear wavy or missing it may indicate macular degeneration in its early stages.

Future treatments could exist to stop macular degeneration from worsening and possibly restore some vision in some instances. Such options include anti-angiogenesis drugs which work by stopping abnormal blood vessels from growing beneath your retina and stopping them from leaking fluid or blood into it; currently being tested in clinical trials they could become available soon enough.

Periodontal Disease

Gum disease (also known as periodontitis) is an ongoing bacterial infection that wreaks havoc on your gum tissue and bone support structure, leading to tooth loss among adults. Furthermore, periodontitis may contribute to macular degeneration as well as being responsible for tooth loss in young children.

Early stages of periodontal disease show no symptoms. Left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis which is characterized by red, swollen and bleeding gums. Bacteria from the mouth enters the bloodstream causing inflammation to other parts of the body including heart. An increase in CRP levels restricts blood flow into eye blood vessels leading to macular degeneration.

Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss and has also been linked with other serious conditions, including vascular disease, diabetes, and preterm births. Researchers are exploring how gum inflammation and bacteria may contribute to these systemic ailments.

Good oral hygiene, healthy diet and regular dental visits can significantly lower your risk of periodontal disease; however, four out of five people unknowingly have it and don’t know it. Common signs include red, swollen and bleeding gums; persistent bad breath; and teeth that appear longer due to exposed tooth roots.

Gingivitis is the initial stage of gum disease and usually easily treatable by visiting your dentist or at home with brushing and flossing, along with proper dental hygiene practices like brushing and flossing. Unfortunately, gingivitis may progress to periodontitis, which involves inflammation of supporting tissues of a tooth: gingiva, periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Necrotizing periodontitis is an extreme form that may result in tooth loss; typically seen in those suffering from systemic diseases like HIV infection, malnutrition or immunosuppression.

Smoking

Smoking tobacco use has an adverse impact on all aspects of health, but oral health may be particularly vulnerable. Cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco all irritate gum tissue leading to gingivitis that worsens over time; their toxic components also deteriorate the teeth and gums, contributing to more tooth loss compared to non-smokers (Academy of General Dentistry study). Smokers typically lose an average of 2.9 teeth over 10 years as opposed to only 1.7 in non-smokers (AgD study).

Macular degeneration affects the macula in your eye, the area that provides reading, driving and face recognition. You may notice gradual haziness overtaking your central vision as other symptoms emerge such as difficulty adapting to low light levels, distortion of geometric shapes and colors or dark spots or blind areas within your visual field. An optometrist can assess dry age-related macular degeneration using Amsler grid testing or fluorescein angiography where yellow dye is injected into a vein before being captured on camera as it travels through blood vessels located inside your eye’s retina – this process produces photographs showing all stages along its course along its journey across blood vessels within your retina as it passes by their blood vessels in real time allowing the camera to capture images as the dye passes by blood vessels throughout your visual field of vision.

While there is no cure for dry macular degeneration, you may be able to slow its progression with vitamin C, E, lutein and zeaxanthin supplements. As always, consult your optometrist prior to taking any such measures and visit regularly so as to monitor any changes in vision as well as provide treatment if necessary.

Smoking and chewing tobacco can erode your teeth, lead to gum disease, and cause black hairy tongue – an appearance caused by growths on the surface of the tongue that are yellow, green or black and appear hairy – among many other effects. Furthermore, tobacco use may cause gums to recede exposing necks of teeth that put them at greater risk of decay as well as making it harder for you to chew, bite and swallow food.

Diet

Macular degeneration is a degenerative eye condition that primarily affects the central portion of your retina, leading to blurriness or distortion of central vision without impacting peripheral or side vision. Macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness among people over fifty and may diminish your ability to drive, read or recognize faces.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties – dry and wet. Eighty five percent of patients develop the dry type, where tiny yellow protein deposits (called drusen ) accumulate under the retina over time, slowly worsening while many retain reading vision with it. Ten percent have wet-type macular degeneration which occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina, leaking fluid or blood into macula tissue, leading to scarring that causes rapid vision loss.

Studies suggest that diets rich in leafy greens, fruit and fish could slow the progression of macular degeneration. Consuming foods rich in antioxidant vitamins C and E could even prevent advanced AMD from progressing further. Limiting your consumption of saturated fat, trans-fat and sugar may also decrease your risk for macular degeneration.

Exercise can also play an essential role in maintaining eye health. A recent study demonstrated that those engaging in strenuous physical activity (enough to break a sweat) at least three times per week were 70% less likely to develop the wet form of macular degeneration, as opposed to those who didn’t exercise. Researchers believe this lower risk was related to reduced inflammation, high blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as other contributing factors.

If you suspect macular degeneration, it is crucial that you visit an eye doctor immediately. A comprehensive eye examination includes a complete medical history review, slit lamp examination and various forms of vision testing; additional tests, such as fluorescein angiography may be necessary in order to get a closer look at the blood vessels in your retina.