Eighty-five to ninety percent of cases of macular degeneration are dry; however, in cases involving wet macular degeneration abnormal blood vessels may form underneath the retina and leak fluid and lipids into central vision, leading to distortion or even permanent blindness.

At first, wet ARMD could be difficult to treat; however, new medications like Avastin and Lucentis have proven extremely successful at stabilizing vision in 90% of patients.

Symptoms

Macular degeneration is a condition in which there is painless distortion to your central part of your vision, known as the macula. Your macula helps you see straight lines and details clearly as well as recognize faces, colors, and the finer points in your environment. While macular degeneration does not cause total blindness, you may notice your central vision has become blurry or distorted and have difficulty walking, driving or reading.

Wet macular degeneration is less prevalent and is typically identified by leakage of blood and fluid from abnormal blood vessels that appear beneath the retina in one’s eye, often around the macula area. If left untreated quickly, they can lead to severe vision loss.

Early signs of macular degeneration include wavy straight lines or an ever-widening blind spot in your central vision, as well as reduced intensity of colors and distortions in visuals. If any of these symptoms emerge, it is crucial that you visit an ophthalmologist immediately as macular degeneration progresses quickly.

Early diagnosis can make a huge difference to slow or prevent vision loss from wet macular degeneration. Medication such as bevacizumab, ranibizumab and pegaptanib can help by stopping the growth of new blood vessels responsible. For optimal results they should be administered regularly via injection into the eye at regular intervals.

Photodynamic therapy or PDT, is another non-painful laser light treatment used to eliminate abnormal, leaking blood vessels under the retina. When exposed to certain light patterns, Visudyne injection into arm is activated and destroyed under retina, improving vision in 15% of cases while possibly slowing progression of wet neovascular AMD progression. However, this therapy should only be recommended to people who exhibit new blood vessel growth within well defined patterns under their retinas.

Diagnosis

Macular degeneration typically progresses slowly over time; approximately 90% of cases fall under “dry” AMD, where yellow deposits called drusen build up slowly over time to damage light-sensing cells of the macula and cause gradual vision loss; typically this affects both eyes differently at different rates. Ten percent of people diagnosed with macular degeneration develop “wet” macular degeneration when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina leaking fluid and blood, leading to rapid progression and even permanent blind spots in central vision.

Wet macular degeneration (WMD) occurs when abnormal blood vessels form behind the retina in an eye condition known as Choroidal Neovascularization (CNV). These new vessels are fragile, often leaking blood, fluid and lipids into layers including retina. Leakage interferes with retinal cells leading to rapid and severe vision loss; many cases can be corrected with drugs injected directly into eye (bevacizumab, ranibizumab or pegaptanib injections); laser treatment may be employed in some patients to destroy new blood vessel growths.

Macular degeneration’s early warning signs may include difficulties reading or driving, distortion of straight lines or the appearance of blind spots – symptoms which can be detected through a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Maintaining regular examinations will enable doctors to spot these changes early and can prevent macular degeneration from progressing further.

Your doctor can diagnose wet macular degeneration by performing an eye exam with a special lens and running tests that detect fluid accumulation in the back of the eye. A simple grid resembling graph paper, known as an Amsler grid, may help detect fluid and indicate whether further tests such as optical coherence tomography (OCT), an imaging technique using laser scanning light waves to create detailed pictures of retina, may be needed.

Treatment

Early treatment is key to avoiding severe loss of vision from wet macular degeneration progression, with anti-VEGF therapy the most commonly employed solution (effective in 90% of cases of wet AMD). Photodynamic therapy may also prove useful; while vitamin C, E, beta carotene zinc and copper supplements may slow its progress.

Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow in the choroid layer behind the retina and leak fluid and blood into it, damaging macula cells and interfering with vision. Over time this leakage can cause significant visual loss leading to permanent blindness.

Your doctor will use special instruments and an Amsler grid chart to perform a complete eye exam, in order to detect any changes to the macula that might be difficult for you to notice, including an OCT and color fundus photograph as additional diagnostic tests to assess macular health.

If your wet AMD has progressed to the point that fluid damage is beginning to affect the macula, your doctor may employ an imaging test known as an ocular angiogram or fluorescein angiography. During this procedure, harmless orange-red dye is injected into a vein in your arm before travelling through blood vessels in your retina to be sealed off using non-burning laser light targeted directly at your macula and targeting any reaction with dye that seals them off permanently – generally quick and painless; getting treatment as soon as possible can prevent irreversible damage and scarring from Choroidal Neovascularization or CNV (choroidal new vessel formation).

Laser surgery may be used to seal off leaky blood vessels in wet macular degeneration (WMD). Your eye care provider will direct a high energy beam of light at fragile new blood vessels to destroy them and help slow vision loss associated with wet AMD. However, this option should only be considered in certain types of wet AMD; speak to your eye care provider regarding this option before considering laser surgery as a potential treatment.

Prevention

Only about 10% of cases progress to wet macular degeneration (wet AMD, or neovascular AMD). Wet ARMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the macula in retina and leak blood and fluid into central vision area causing rapid fade over time with permanent blind spots and distortion in straight lines as a result of rapid fade rate. It should be treated immediately. This condition must not be taken lightly!

No cure exists for wet macular degeneration (AMD), but certain medications can slow its onset and decrease vision loss risk. Intraocular injections of these anti-VEGF therapies such as Bevacizumab (Avastin), Eylea (aflibercept), or Ranibizumab (Lucentis) may help. Other approaches, including photodynamic therapy or laser surgery may also be utilized as well.

Some patients suffering from wet ARMD can benefit from nutritional supplements and an improved diet, while regular dilated eye exams using an Amsler grid are important to detect any change in vision early. Furthermore, sunglasses that protect from UV rays should also be worn.

Prevention involves eating a healthy, well-rounded diet rich in dark green vegetables and fish, along with regular physical activity to support eye health. Regular eye exams also can play an important role in maintaining eye health.

Keep an eye doctor informed and on call, to conduct regular exams on yourself to detect vision deterioration and determine your risk for wet ARMD which has more serious and rapid progression.

Prevention is the key to lowering your risk for wet ARMD. To do this, follow a healthy lifestyle such as eating healthily, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and protecting eyes from UV light exposure. In addition, regular dilated eye exams with your eye doctor and taking their advice regarding treatment options is highly recommended to slow the progression of the disease. Early detection is critical in slowing its progress.