Macular degeneration is an eye condition affecting the macula of your retina – the part responsible for fine details – which allows people over age 60 to see. It is the leading cause of blindness.

Macular degeneration occurs when protein deposits known as drusen form within the macula, leading to serious wet macular degeneration if left untreated.

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is an eye condition affecting the retina at the back of your eye. Your macula, located within this small section, provides central vision as well as fine details clearly; when macular degeneration sets in, this area becomes blurry or darkened while side vision remains clear; total blindness does not result from macular degeneration and early intervention can halt or even reverse it altogether. Regular medical visits and preventative measures may help slowed or prevented altogether if caught early enough; regular medical checks could help slow or stop or prevent its progress or speed up its progression or prevent it altogether if caught early enough – see our Preventative care section below for preventative solutions!

Dry AMD is one of the most prevalent forms of macular degeneration. At its initial stages, tiny deposits known as drusen develop under your retina. While not immediately dangerous, larger or irregular-shaped drusen could progress to more advanced stages and cause distortion to your vision.

Over time, deposits build up and damage the macula. As the disease advances, retinal pigment epithelium deteriorates until eventually becoming thin and detached from retina. This leads to new blood vessels sprouting under retina leaking fluid or bleeding; wet macular degeneration results if left untreated causing severe loss of straight-ahead vision.

Wet macular degeneration can be treated effectively using injections known as vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF inhibitors, which work by stopping fluid leakage and blood vessel expansion. When taken regularly, these medicines can effectively stop abnormal vessel growth and restore vision; photodynamic therapy has also been tried but was less successful at improving vision than these injections.

Macular degeneration can be reduced with proper nutrition, particularly an anti-oxidant and zinc rich diet. Furthermore, annual dilated eye exams help ophthalmologists detect changes to your retina that you might not even be aware of.

Dry Macular Degeneration

The macula is a small region in your retina at the back of your eye that allows you to see fine details clearly, including when reading, driving and performing other activities that require central vision. Macular degeneration damages this portion of your retina and may result in blurry or distorted central vision; this damage won’t affect peripheral (side) vision as such, so most tasks should still be possible with no difficulty whatsoever.

Macular degeneration typically develops due to age. Over time, the macula thins as its fluid that keeps it working breaks down. Dry macular degeneration is the more prevalent form, typically characterized by tissue thin-out in the macula and formation of yellow deposits under the retina known as drusen deposits; progress of this form tends to occur gradually and is much less likely to lead to blindness than its wet counterpart.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak fluid or bleed, known as choroidal neovascularization or CNV. It accounts for 90 percent of severe vision loss from ARMD; its blood and fluid leakage wreak havoc with your central portion of vision, leading to faster and more significant vision loss than with its dry form.

Both types of macular degeneration may be treated to slow the progression, though no cure will ever restore any lost vision. Laser treatment is sometimes effective at targeting abnormal blood vessels causing wet macular degeneration; painless laser light damages cells leaking fluid or blood and disrupting their normal flow; this helps slow the disease’s progress as well as in some cases even improve vision.

Lifestyle changes may also help lower the risk of macular degeneration. Make time for physical activity, maintain a healthy weight and give up smoking; incorperating more fruits, vegetables and fish into your diet to supply antioxidants necessary to ward off macular degeneration; as well as scheduling periodic macular degeneration exams even if your vision appears clear.

Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Macular degeneration affects the part of the retina that allows people to see fine details clearly, known as the macula. When macular degeneration develops, it can make it hard for you to see straight ahead or drive a car; additionally, a blind spot may form in your center vision – though typically this condition does not impact peripheral vision at all and usually does not lead to total blindness allowing you to continue living an active life.

Macular degeneration usually presents as the dry form, wherein yellow protein clumps known as drusen accumulate under the retina in the macula and gradually build until they begin interfering with central vision. Over time, dry macular degeneration usually causes gradual loss of straight ahead vision while people who develop wet macular degeneration often notice sudden vision loss caused by abnormal blood vessels leaking blood and fluid under their retina causing scarring of retina and ultimate permanent loss of central vision.

Wet macular degeneration symptoms may include distortions in straight lines, blurry or hazy objects and the formation of large blind spots in your visual field. If treated quickly however, wet macular degeneration is less likely to result in severe vision loss if treated quickly – there are even injections called Visudyne that can slow its progress.

Schedule a routine eye examination to establish whether or not you have dry or wet macular degeneration. Your ophthalmologist will use instruments designed to detect early changes in the macula. Tests such as Amsler grid analysis or fluorescein angiography, during which harmless orange-red dye is injected into veins in your arm before being photographed as it travels through blood vessels in your retina by special cameras, may provide accurate answers about whether dry or wet degeneration exists in your case.

Macular Degeneration Treatments

Macular degeneration affects the macular region of your retina (light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye). This area, commonly referred to as the “macula,” is essential for sharp and straight-ahead vision; while your side or peripheral vision remains unchanged. While macular degeneration will never lead to complete blindness, scheduling regular eye exams to detect early symptoms and protect vision loss is recommended to ensure complete detection and reduce further vision loss.

There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration results from deposits called drusen building up underneath the retina and damaging pigment epithelial cells and photoreceptors of your macula, leading to gradual vision loss over time. Wet macular degeneration is much more dangerous; new blood vessels grow beneath your retina that leak fluid into the macula quickly diminishing your central vision dramatically.

Macular degeneration treatments vary for its two forms; medications may help slow or stop dry macular degeneration’s progression but cannot reverse it; while surgical techniques like laser coagulation can be used to manage wet macular degeneration by eliminating abnormal blood vessels that lead to choroidal neovascularization and managing it through laser coagulation.

Cryotherapy surgery entails placing a pencil-like probe against the white surface of your eye (known as the sclera). When activated, its tip becomes extremely cold, freezing structures within your eye which pull on retinal tears or holes and freezing any surrounding tissues that pull against a tear or hole in a retinal tear or hole. Cryotherapy can be an effective option when dealing with advanced wet macular degeneration patients who require retinal repairs or repairs for wet macular degeneration patients seeking retinal tear repairs or holes repairs.

Research suggests that certain vitamins, such as antioxidants and zinc, may slow the progression of macular degeneration. Stem cell treatments have also shown promise; although not a cure, they have improved vision in many people and should be discussed with your ophthalmologist as soon as any changes in vision occur. If any significant differences arise it is vital that they are addressed immediately by speaking to an eye specialist.