Macular degeneration is a progressive condition affecting the macula, an area in the retina located behind your eye that allows you to clearly see fine details and complete activities such as threading a needle. Although macular degeneration cannot cause complete blindness, it usually affects central vision only and cannot lead to complete loss of vision.

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is a condition in which central vision becomes impaired due to damage to your macula – located within your retina at the back of your eye and responsible for helping you see fine details clearly and perform activities such as driving and recognising faces – leading to blurring. Macular degeneration does not impact peripheral or color vision and while permanent central loss may result, this does not equal blindness.

Age-related macular degeneration is the most prevalent form of macular degeneration and usually develops due to ageing. Unfortunately, its exact cause remains unknown; certain people appear more predisposed than others for developing it.

Macular degeneration comes in two forms, dry and wet. Eighty-five to ninety percent of cases fall under the category of dry macular degeneration, where abnormal yellow deposits called drusen begin accumulating behind the macula, leading to blurry and distorted central vision. Ten to fifteen percent are classified as wet forms in which abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina and leak blood and fluid into the macula, progressing more rapidly than its dry counterpart and can even result in irreparable vision loss.

Macular degeneration symptoms may include gradual haziness in the center of your field of vision, difficulty adapting to low light conditions, needing additional bright lighting for reading or driving, or seeing straight lines appear crooked or bent. Such symptoms should not be ignored and should be immediately evaluated by an ophthalmologist as soon as they appear.

Macular degeneration can be detected using various tests, including an eye exam and special color chart test. A dilated eye exam allows your doctor to evaluate the health of both retina and macula while the color chart helps identify wet or dry macular degeneration and whether symptoms have worsened or improved over time.

What are the Symptoms of Macular Degeneration?

The macula is a tiny area in your retina (light-sensitive tissue lining the back of your eye) responsible for providing clear central vision, enabling daily activities like threading a needle or driving. It differs from peripheral (side) vision. Macular degeneration occurs when this small region no longer works correctly and your central vision begins to blur, making driving, reading and recognising faces harder as details will no longer be visible to you. Macular degeneration does not lead to blindness as peripheral vision remains unchanged.

Macular degeneration typically presents as the dry form, which involves gradual retinal thinning and deposits called drusen under each retina, usually at different rates between both eyes. While dry macular degeneration does not always lead to vision loss, in certain instances it may produce an opaque layer over the central vision that makes certain tasks impossible or hindered.

Ten percent of those diagnosed with macular degeneration suffer from its wet form, characterized by abnormal blood vessels leaking fluid beneath the retina and leading to rapid vision loss. Wet macular degeneration symptoms may include sudden loss of straight-ahead vision, distortion or blind spots in central vision and decreased intensity of colors.

As early symptoms of macular degeneration may not always be noticeable, it’s vital to visit your eye doctor on a regular basis for a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Your eye doctor will perform tests such as an Amsler grid and other forms of visual evaluation to detect macular degeneration. If macular degeneration is suspected, your doctor will administer an orange-red dye injection into your arm in order to evaluate retinal blood vessels using fluorescein angiography.

What are the Treatments for Macular Degeneration?

The macula of our retina is responsible for our ability to see fine details clearly. When this central area deteriorates, straight lines become wavy or blurry and make reading, driving, threading needles or operating computers more challenging. Symptoms may vary depending on what stage macular degeneration has progressed into; early signs may not even be apparent but regular eye exams should still be scheduled so your doctor can detect potential indicators such as bluish hazes or missing parts of straight ahead vision that might signal macular degeneration before its impact becomes noticeable.

About 85% of cases of macular degeneration fall under the category of dry macular degeneration, in which yellow protein deposits known as drusen form and build up behind the macula over time, eventually thinning it and rendering it nonfunctional. Ten to fifteen percent are classified as wet macular degeneration; abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid or blood into the macula, scarring its surface more quickly than dry type degeneration and leading to rapid loss of vision than its dry counterpart.

There are various treatments for wet macular degeneration available, including anti-angiogenic drug treatments (Macugen, Avastin and Lucentis), which are injected directly into the eye and combat VEGF growth factors that contribute to vision loss. Studies have demonstrated how such anti-angiogenic drug treatments may actually slow progression as well as restore some vision lost from these patients.

Photodynamic therapy or PDT is an innovative new procedure that uses painless laser light to eliminate abnormal or leaky blood vessels that form beneath the retina in specific patterns associated with wet macular degeneration. Studies have proven its efficacy for many patients suffering from wet macular degeneration.

At SouthEast Eye Physicians & Surgeons, the first step to treating macular degeneration is visiting your eye doctor regularly and having them conduct a comprehensive eye exam using cutting-edge technology to detect the early signs. Our eye doctors specialize in early diagnosis and can detect macular degeneration before it spreads further.

What are the Risks of Macular Degeneration?

Age Related Macular Degeneration, commonly known as AMD is an eye condition which gradually causes central vision to decline and is the primary cause of legal blindness in the United States. AMD affects the macula which provides sharp visual acuity needed for activities such as reading and driving – it deteriorates both dryly and wetly, often manifesting itself among patients over fifty and having a devastating impact on quality of life.

Macular degeneration remains poorly understood but may be linked to ageing and thinning of retinal pigment epithelium cells, deposits of fatty waste or mineral buildup called drusen, abnormal blood vessel growth beneath retina, or bleeding caused by abnormally growing or leaking vessels under retina. Dry form macular degeneration often progresses gradually over time, gradually losing central vision while color and peripheral (side) vision usually remain intact; wet form macular degeneration tends to progress more quickly due to rapid blood vessel growth underneath retina leaking fluids causing bleeding from abnormal blood vessels under retina, leading to distortion or blurring vision caused by growing abnormal blood vessels underneath retina which lead to bleeding that results in distortion or blurring or distortion or blurring vision caused by bleeding blood vessels below retina causing distortion or blurring vision caused by bleeding blood vessels under retina which result in bleeding causing distortion or blurring vision resulting in distortion or blurred vision distortion or distortion or blurred vision distortion or distortion or blurred vision distortion or blurring, depending on severity. In most cases dry form macular degeneration is usually milder, leading to gradual loss; color vision is usually preserved whereas peripheral (side) vision loss whereas wet form is faster and often more severe due to abnormal blood vessel growth caused by abnormal growth beneath retina, leading to bleeding leaking fluid under retina leading to distortion or blurring vision caused by growing abnormal blood vessels growing beneath retina leading to distortion or distortion or blurred vision due to leakage under retina leading to distortion or blurring due leaking fluid leakage which eventually results in distortion or blurring due to wet form macular degeneration develops, however peripheral (side vision loss of central vision may still preserved however color vision and peripheral) side vision loss however preserved while in wet forms developed slowly with peripheral vision preserved due its wet form typically more severe damage due to wet form disease develop gradually leading to peripheral vision loss being preserved however due to leakage caused by bleeding abnormal blood vessels under retinal leakage where central vision; normally preserved peripherally as opposed to leakage under retinal leakage under retinal surface causes bleedings due to bleeding from leakage caused by abnormal blood vessel growth under retinal damage caused due to blood vessel growth under retinal leakage causes bleeding leading eventually leading to distortion or blurr distortion or blurr than expected when diagnosed due leaking fluid build up and peripheral vision being preserved or distortion or blurr conditions due to bleeding or blurred vision lost rapidly as results resulting in either case this form it usually preserve color vision usually preserved while the more severe because wet degeneration due it caused bleeding which leads eventually lead to leakage is generally less severe due to leakage caused from leakage under retinal this disease it typically faster leading causes as the more severe than other forms caused due leaking due leaking due to bleeding caused due bleeding when occurring under retinal, sometimes causes distortion as result leaking fluid resulting to bleeding caused by bleeding under retinal leakage due leaking under retinal; but color preserved while peripheral vision loss occurs by bleeding leaking fluid leakage later and it occurs more due due to blood leakage occurs later than loss as the visual loss occurring eventually result either way later due to bleeding occurs more serious damage as result leads to blurr it can lead. resulting more quickly leaving peripheral visual loss becomes later more severely as wet form later due bleeding leakage from both of course than. compared to more severe as the wet form could later due to growing abnormal blood vessel growth which caused from bleeding can lead leaking. Wet type due bleeding more severely caused from more severely caused due blood leakage leaving both as the less or blur

Macular degeneration cannot be reversed, but a combination of treatments may slow its progress and even improve vision in some instances. Individuals at risk should seek advice from an ophthalmologist and schedule routine eye examinations.

Other risk factors for macular degeneration include family history, smoking, high cholesterol levels and blood pressure as well as diets low in fiber intake. Studies indicate that frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables containing carotenoids and zinc could lower the risk of macular degeneration; sunlight exposure has been shown to stimulate production of vitamin D which may further lower risk. These sources include salmon, tuna sardines mackerel milk as well as fortified orange juice containing this vitamin D source.