Eighty-five to ninety percent of macular degeneration cases fall under the “dry” classification, in which yellow deposits known as drusen appear under the retina and disrupt central vision without leading to complete blindness.

Macular degeneration caused by exudative or “wet” forms is less frequent but results in faster loss of central vision due to abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the retina and leaking fluid or blood beneath it. This process often causes abnormal vessels to form which then leak fluid or blood.

Age

Age is one of the primary contributors to macular degeneration. This eye condition most commonly affects adults over 50 and occurs when retina damage occurs, sending information about objects and images directly into the brain via the macula (lining at the back of eyeball that transmits sensory data from objects to images to brain). When damaged, central vision becomes difficult; not blinding per se but can make reading, driving, recognising faces and colors hard work; can also obstruct fine detail as well as cause colors to look pale.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties, dry and wet. The former, more frequently seen among older individuals due to aging and thinned retina, while its opposite form, where abnormal blood vessels leak fluid or blood under the retina, poses greater risks. People living with either form may suffer severe vision loss and ultimately blindness.

Scientists have discovered that certain dietary practices can lower the risk of macular degeneration, including eating plenty of fruit and leafy vegetables and not smoking; other healthy practices include not taking part in tobacco usage and having regular eye exams.

Researchers continue their investigation of macular degeneration. Recent findings indicate that it may be caused by a decrease in an essential fatty acid, which interferes with production of protective molecules within the eye and could ultimately lead to new treatments for this eye disease.

Those 55 or over should visit an optometrist regularly for routine eye exams. By early detection of macular degeneration, your eye doctor can begin treatment to slow its progress and worsening. Your optometrist may employ several tests such as Amsler Grid charts and high-resolution imaging methods known as angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT), where dye is injected into veins in your arm before being taken pictures as it travels through blood vessels into retina. Angiography allows your doctor to detect leakage of blood or fluid into macula and allows your doctor to detect potential leakage from blood vessels in which allows him/her/them to detect leakage around macula.

Smoking

Macular degeneration affects your central vision, making it hard to recognize fine details and drive, read or recognize faces. But unlike other eye conditions, it does not lead to total blindness – unlike its counterparts it occurs not due to trauma or disease of the optic nerve, but due to changes in retinal blood vessels responsible for central vision.

Smokers have an increased risk of this condition due to decreased blood flow to their eyes, decreasing nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin that protect from ultraviolet radiation damage to retina. Smoking also increases your risk of cataracts and uveitis which may lead to vision loss in severe cases.

Research has demonstrated the connection between smoking tobacco and age-related macular degeneration – such as wet form of this condition — and cataract formation; with people who smoke more likely than nonsmokers developing both cataracts and blurred vision and faded colors from this clouding of their natural lens, and more likely than nonsmokers to be affected. Research suggests smoking tobacco increases your chances of macular degeneration fourfold while two to three times more likely of cataract development due to clouding over its natural lens and blurry vision and faded colors due to clouding over its natural lens creating clouding which leads to blurring vision and faded colors from its effects; both effects will increase significantly once your natural lens clouding comes into contact with light that causes blurriness while leading to blurry vision and faded colors from faded colors being perceived more readily.

One twin study involving 681 male veterans of World War II who smoked had significantly higher rates of wet AMD and higher risk for macular degeneration compared to nonsmokers, likely because smoking can lead to abnormal blood vessel formation under the macula, leading to fluid leakage that leads to rapid vision loss.

Reducing smoking and increasing intake of fruits, vegetables, oily fish, and antioxidant vitamins is one way to slow the progression of macular degeneration. If you have wet macular degeneration, new medications have recently become available that can stop new blood vessels from growing into your macula and prevent further vision loss – these anti-angiogenic drugs include Macugen, Avastin and Lucentis – some studies even indicate they can reverse its progress!

Family History

Family history is a crucial factor when predicting macular degeneration risk for an individual. Their likelihood doubles if one or both parents had it, with its cause remaining unknown but possibly related to how macular degeneration tends to run in families.

Macular degeneration risks increase if someone is female, smokes or has had eye diseases like cataracts or glaucoma in their past; unfortunately these factors cannot be controlled; however dietary interventions can help mitigate macular degeneration risks; specifically vitamin C, E and LZZ supplementation which have all been found helpful for slowing macular degeneration; these vitamins can be found both naturally in fruits and vegetables as well as specifically targeted supplements like macula support supplements.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties; dry and wet. Most people have dry macular degeneration, which is marked by abnormal yellow deposits called drusen appearing underneath the retina. Drusen do not cause vision loss directly but are an indicator that an individual could progress to wet form of macular degeneration in time.

Under wet condition, abnormal blood vessels begin to form beneath the retina near choriocapillaries through Bruch’s membrane. Leakage or bleeding of these new vessels can damage macula, leading to rapid vision loss if untreated quickly.

Good news is there are treatments available for the wet form of macular degeneration. Laser surgery can help destroy leaky blood vessels, while certain medications may reduce progression to wet macular degeneration. Your ophthalmologist will recommend an individualized course of treatment.

Diet

Macular degeneration affects the central portion of the retina – the part of the eye responsible for turning light into nerve signals carried along the optic nerve – by breaking down light-sensing cells that convert light to nervous signals that travel along this channel, eventually resulting in blurred or distorted vision. While progression may not lead to total blindness, macular degeneration makes reading and driving challenging; seeing faces, colors and fine detail becomes challenging too.

Eating healthy can slow macular degeneration and even help prevent it from progressing into its more aggressive Wet form, while new medications called anti-VEGF injections may stop blood vessel and scar tissue growth beneath the retina, thus saving vision in some people.

Diet can play an essential role in mitigating macular degeneration by providing essential carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin, found naturally in dark green leafy vegetables, orange fruits and berries, as well as dark chocolate. These antioxidants bind with the macula, absorbing up to 90% of blue light while protecting photoreceptor cells and protecting retina from damage caused by free radicals (unstable atoms that damage cells, leading to illness and aging) entering retina.

Diets rich in vitamins C and E, zinc, omega 3 fatty acids and fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids may help stop macular degeneration from progressing to wet form. Anti-VEGF drugs like Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea can help protect against wet AMD by blocking the protein vascular endothelial growth factor which promotes blood vessel formation and scar tissue formation under the retina. These medications have already saved the vision of thousands of people who would have otherwise gone blind without them. A healthy diet and nutritional supplements may also reduce risk factors associated with macular degeneration and other eye conditions, so for more information regarding macular degeneration and its prevention please book an appointment with your ophthalmologist.