Macular degeneration is the gradual loss of central vision that makes it hard to identify faces, drive safely or read, or read without reading glasses. Additionally, this condition can cause visual hallucinations.

Treatment for wet macular degeneration involves medications to combat abnormal blood vessel formation under the retina, typically administered as injections directly into one eye.

Dry Eye Syndrome

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), commonly referred to as macular atrophy (MA), is a vision-robbing disease which gradually impairs central vision by degenerating retinal pigment epithelium layer beneath retina and eventually affects photoreceptors that regulate vision resulting in blurry or obscured images. Glaucoma makes reading difficult, threading needles or driving more challenging and is one of the leading causes of blindness and vision loss in older adults. Millions over age 50 suffer from this illness that impacts central vision. It is an all-too-common disease affecting millions worldwide and leading to blindness or vision loss for millions more over this age threshold. Macular degeneration comes in two varieties, dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is more prevalent and its early signs include blurred vision that becomes apparent under bright lights, with signs worsening over time and eventually leading to blind spots forming at the center of vision. If it continues to progress unchecked it could eventually cause irreparable damage.

Wet macular degeneration is less prevalent and involves abnormal blood vessel growth in the macula, with leakage of fluid beneath resulting in permanent damage – leading to blindness in about 10 percent of advanced cases of macular degeneration. The symptoms for wet macular degeneration may resemble dry forms in that straight lines may become wavy-appearing or you may notice dark spots growing steadily within vision fields.

Macular degeneration can be prevented or delayed by refraining from smoking, eating healthy and visiting an ophthalmologist regularly. Furthermore, it’s also essential to manage other medical conditions, including high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. If there is a family history of macular degeneration it’s advisable to discuss genetic testing and screening with your physician.

Macular degeneration agents can slow the progression of macular degeneration by inhibiting abnormal new blood vessel formation in the macula. These medications come as pills or eye drops; each type works differently to reduce neovascularization; Avastin being one such injected option.

Eye Infections

While most eye infections are minor and can usually be treated at home with warm compresses and over-the-counter medication, certain rare eye conditions require medical intervention from an ophthalmologist. Such diseases include styes, chalazia and pink eye; fungal endophthalmitis is another one which often arises when blocked tear ducts or contact lens usage have caused inflammation around an eyelid causing endophthalmitis infection to spread to surrounding tissue causing further infection resulting in eye inflammation or blindness affecting vision loss over time if left untreated – diseases which include styes chalazia chalazia; fungal endophthalmitis may even lead to permanent vision loss if left untreated!

Age related macular degeneration can have serious side effects that impede an individual’s quality of life, but with treatment these symptoms can be reduced or eliminated completely; even some therapies can reverse progression of this disease.

Age related macular degeneration comes in two main varieties, dry and wet. Both can lead to central vision loss: dry macular degeneration can be identified by deposits beneath the retina called drusen that slowly reduce vision over time; wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels form under the retina that leak fluid into the macula causing it to rise from its usual position at the back of your eye and form wavy lines with dark spots at its center in your field of view.

Both conditions may be treated by injecting Lucentis or Avastin, medications which block the protein responsible for stimulating new blood vessel formation. A recent study demonstrated that both treatments were nearly equally effective at slowing disease progression; however, Avastin is significantly cheaper.

Regular examinations, ancillary testing and injection therapy are critical to maintaining good vision for those suffering from wet macular degeneration. Photodynamic therapy offers another promising treatment option for this condition; using medication to dissolve leaky blood vessels that damage retinas; combined with regular exams and injections this therapy may greatly enhance patients’ vision.

Bleeding

Macular degeneration affects the central part of our retina called the macula, responsible for our fine details and color vision. When macular degeneration sets in, its symptoms include blurred or distorted vision which are usually the first clues. Macula degeneration occurs when the macula loses its ability to send signals that enable us to see fine details and colors, leading to blindness in older Americans and especially people of northern European heritage. The condition usually affects both eyes gradually over time. Macular degeneration comes in two forms, dry and wet. While dry forms are most prevalent and do not lead to rapid vision loss, while wet forms involve abnormal blood vessels leaking or bleeding under the retina and may result in sudden vision loss. Wet AMD tends to occur more commonly among individuals who have had family history of it as well as smoking habits that contribute to its progression.

Drug injections are the mainstay treatment for wet macular degeneration, blocking proteins that stimulate abnormal blood vessel growth beneath the retina. These injectable drugs, known as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs and including Macugen, Avastin, and Lucentis among others, have proven to effectively prevent further vision loss as well as enhance it in some patients.

Other treatments for wet macular degeneration include laser surgery and photodynamic therapy. With laser surgery, Visudyne is injected directly into the eye followed by activation by non-thermal laser light to cause chemical reaction that destroys new blood vessels thereby slowing macular degeneration progression in about 15% of treated patients.

Macular degeneration is caused by age-related changes and damage to light-sensitive cells in the retina. Risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family history of macular degeneration, smoking cigarettes, high blood pressure, obesity and lighter eye color; eating foods rich in leafy green vegetables and fish may help protect against macular degeneration according to some research studies.

Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment occurs when the retina detaches from the back wall of your eye, typically as the result of retinal tear which has gone untreated and allowed water from within your eye to seep through through it, filling any tears between retina and backwall and eventually detaching itself completely. This can create blurry or blind spots in vision which if untreated can result in permanent vision loss.

An detached retina may be treated surgically. The procedure typically entails inserting a silicone oil bubble into your eye that helps push your retina back in place and using photocoagulation, an option that uses laser technology, to seal any retinal tears or breaks. More chronic detachments may develop proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), which could impede successful reattachment.

Retinal tears or detachments typically affect people aged middle-age or older, and tend to occur more frequently among very nearsighted individuals and those with a family history of retinal disorders. Retinal detachments may also be brought on by diseases and traumas like cataracts, hemorrhages in the retina or direct blows to the eyeball itself.

Retinal detachments typically manifest themselves by sudden appearance of new floaters or flashes of light, peripheral vision loss, shadow or curtain movement across visual fields from corner to center, or loss of peripheral vision altogether. If these symptoms arise it is vitally important that you see an ophthalmologist immediately; they will perform a dilated eye exam, ultrasounds and take HD photographs to confirm any detachment and establish whether dilated exams, ultrasounds and high definition photographs will reveal anything suspicious in.

Retinal detachments can often be identified when patients report seeing flashes of light in their vision, gradual peripheral or side vision loss or the sensation that something has moved across the center of their visual field. Left untreated, retinal detachments can develop into full-scale rhegmatogenous or tractional retinal detachments with permanent vision loss.