Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of taking antioxidant vitamins and zinc supplements to slow down AMD progression. A balanced diet should also be consumed.

Anti-VEGF treatments may also help with wet AMD. When this treatment is administered directly into the eye, blood vessel growth and leakage may be reduced significantly, known as an “anti-VEGF.”

Laser surgery may be used in some people living with wet AMD to destroy leaky new blood vessels and protect against further vision loss.

Dry macular degeneration

Macular degeneration, the primary cause of legal blindness among adults aged 50 or above in industrialized nations, is an eye condition in which the macula, located at the center of your vision, becomes damaged over time. Eventually, this condition results in central vision loss; typically affecting both eyes, although in some people only one eye may be affected. Common symptoms of macular degeneration include blurry vision and an expanding blind spot at the center of one’s visual field, making straight lines appear crooked, muted colors or even disappearance. Unfortunately, this disease cannot be cured, however treatments may help slow its progress or potentially even save vision.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties, dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is the more prevalent form, caused when parts of the macula thin with age and small protein deposits called drusen form, gradually leading to vision loss over time. Unfortunately this form is untreatable and will result in an eventual gradual loss of central vision.

Wet macular degeneration (WMD) is less prevalent but more serious. WMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels form under the retina and leak blood or other fluids into the macula, leading to rapid vision loss. Furthermore, scar tissue may form from these abnormal vessels leading to rapid scarring of macula cells resulting in rapid vision loss.

Though advanced macular degeneration cannot be reversed, it is still important to monitor your vision regularly by visiting an ophthalmologist and use tests like an Amsler grid to detect early changes. An Amsler grid resembles a checkerboard pattern; any distortion in its center indicates damage to the macula.

Studies have demonstrated the efficacy of taking a combination of vitamins and minerals known as the Age-Related Eye Disease Study formula to slow dry macular degeneration progression. This combination includes antioxidants, zinc, copper and vitamin C; other studies suggest certain foods, including green leafy vegetables, berries and oranges could also play a beneficial role in slowing dry macular degeneration progress.

Studies are ongoing into preventing and treating macular degeneration. One promising treatment involves the use of lasers to stop abnormal blood vessel formation and reduce leakage into the macula, while other initiatives have focused on creating artificial retinas or stimulating methods of stimulating retinas to decrease vision loss. Unfortunately, no treatments exist that can restore lost central vision, but low vision devices may help compensate for it.

Atrophic macular degeneration

Macular degeneration is an eye condition that primarily affects the macula, or central part of the retina responsible for central vision. This disease results in deposits under the retina known as drusen that erode and damage retina over time, ultimately leading to severe vision loss or blindness in severe cases. Age is generally thought of as the main risk factor; however other risk factors including family history, race and gender also increase chances for this condition to arise. Although severe, treatment options exist that aim at slowing its progression.

In the dry form of retinal disease, there is a breakdown of retinal pigment epithelial cells responsible for vision. This results in blurry or dimmed vision as well as formation of drusen which may deposit fluid and alter normal structure of outer layers of retina. Conversely, in its wet form this disease is caused by abnormal blood vessels under retina that bleed and leak fluid; this causes destruction of photoreceptors within macula leading to rapid and irreversible vision loss.

Wet forms of AMD are more serious and less frequent. They involve abnormal blood vessels forming underneath the retina that leak fluid and protein; bleeding occurs within them causing scar tissue formation leading to permanent vision loss. Treatment for wet forms must occur immediately with injection of VEGF inhibitors into eye.

One study presented at ASRS indicated that patients living with geographic atrophy (GA) experience lower quality of life compared to those without GA, suggesting early and frequent visits to an ophthalmologist are essential. A diet rich in lutein and zeaxanthin may also help prevent progression from dry AMD to wet AMD.

A recent Cochrane Library study demonstrated that eating more green leafy vegetables and brightly-colored fruits and vegetables could decrease the risk of progressing to wet AMD by at least 25%. The data from 124 patients who had either neovascular AMD in one eye or dry AMD in both, plus an unaffected control group. They compared atrophy rates among nAMD eyes treated or not treated with anti-VEGF agents as well as assessed asynchrony between these cases and untreated ones.

Non-exudative macular degeneration

An elderly client was recently diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration. Her nurse noticed she was experiencing difficulty reading and seeing straight objects clearly, so they determined she has nonexudative AMD which can be treated using eyedrops as well as high dose antioxidants and zinc supplementation. Furthermore, they recommend regular visits to an ophthalmologist.

Clients should receive a comprehensive eye examination, including slit lamp examination and various forms of vision testing. An Amsler grid may be used by an ophthalmologist to detect changes in central vision caused by macular degeneration; additional diagnostic tools include optical coherence tomography – a laser that takes cross-sectional images of retina – and fluorescein angiography; this latter test involves injecting dye into client arms before taking digital images as it passes through abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid during wet macular degeneration; additional tests include optical coherence tomography – another laser that takes cross sectional images of retina – as well as fluorescein angiography which uses dye injection into clients arms before taking digital images of retina as dye passes through abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid during wet macular degeneration; this test also takes digital images while passing dye passes through abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid into wet macular degeneration as it passes through abnormal blood vessels with normal ones passing through abnormal ones that leak fluid into our eyes as this dye passes through them into our retina while taking digital images with fluorescein angiography laser scanning cross sectional images using laser light imaging of optic coherence tomography laser cross sectional images as fluorescein angiography as the dye passes through abnormal ones that leak fluid through, giving digital images as it passes through different locations where dye passes angiography with digital imaging techniques that capture digital images as dye passes through abnormal ones that leak fluid into these abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid through abnormal ones as fluorescein angiography which allows digital images of client’s retinal.

Macular degeneration can result in the gradual, irreversible loss of central and/or detailed vision, often unreversible. Your client’s doctor can assist her in learning to compensate for this loss by adapting habits such as holding books at an angle or reading aids and adopting new habits to compensate. They may also offer tips on improving lighting conditions at home and work and reducing glare.

Risks of macular degeneration increase significantly when there are significant deposits called drusen under the retina, known as “drusen.” People who already have early stages of dry macular degeneration and significant deposits called “drusen,” such as dry macular atrophy, are more prone to wet AMD in which abnormal blood vessels form under weakened areas caused by drusen or atrophy; these blood vessels can leak fluid or even bleed, leading to blurred vision; left untreated wet AMD can lead to permanent blindness.

Treatment of wet macular degeneration typically entails anti-VEGF injections or photodynamic therapy. With anti-VEGF therapy, an injection of verteporfin that adheres to new blood vessels is administered before an intense light source shines on the eye to activate and destroy them. When used as part of this strategy, rapid progression to severe vision loss may be substantially slowed.

Recent studies have demonstrated the utility of OCT-angiography and OCT-based imaging analysis in identifying and tracking the growth of neovascular lesions in wet AMD. These methods could allow doctors to predict which patients are at greater risk for rapid progression to wet macular degeneration; as well as assist them in creating effective therapies to slow it down. Furthermore, authors believe these new methods of diagnosis and monitoring could improve efficiency and effectiveness in treating wet macular degeneration; though further evidence should be collected through long-term trials to confirm these results.