What is Macular Degeneration?

You may have heard the term used before, but are unsure what it means. Perhaps an older relative mentioned that they had it or were afraid of getting it. With February being Macular Degeneration Awareness Month, it is good time to learn about a subject in which most of us are not familiar.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans, even more than cataracts and glaucoma combined. It is a problem with the retina when a part of the retina – called the macula – is damaged or deteriorates in the central portion. In the early stages, there won’t be any vision problems. Sometimes vision will become blurry or wavy. But once the disease progresses, a person with AMD loses their central vision. This means you can’t see details in the center of your vision area whether you are looking at something close or far. You don’t have any problem with your peripheral or side vision; it will still be normal. If you were looking at a traditional clock, you might see the numbers on the clock, but not the hands in the center. Whatever you are looking at, you won’t see what is in the very center of your vision; that part will be a grey or a black area of non-vision or what some people call “blind spots.” AMD is diagnosed as either “wet” or “dry” with most people having the dry form; the wet form leads to greater vision loss.

Some of the symptoms can develop slowly over time and include:

• Visual distortions, such as straight lines seeming to be bent
• Reduced central vision in one or both eyes
• The need for a brighter light when reading or doing close work
• Increased difficulty adapting to low light levels, such as when entering a dimly lit restaurant or movie theater
• Increased blurriness of printed words
• Decreased intensity or brightness of colors
• Difficulty recognizing faces

The causes of AMD can be due to a variety of things. Most often, the risk increases with age. Other risk factors include:

• Heredity (people with a family history are at a higher risk)
• High blood pressure (studies have shown it is associated with the development of AMD)
• Smoking (reduces the amount of oxygen that goes to your eyes and doubles your risk)
• Being a Caucasian female (followed by Chinese and Hispanic/Latino females)
• Side effects of certain anti-psychotic and anti-malarial drugs
• Obesity and inactivity (high levels of dietary fat may be a risk factor)

Treatment varies depending on the type of AMD. There is currently no cure. A healthy diet with a focus on antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, along with vitamin and mineral supplements have been shown to help in some studies. Wearing sunglasses when outside to protect your eyes against the sun’s harmful ultraviolent rays is also recommended. There are drugs and a combination of drugs/laser treatments for the wet AMD that has shown good results to delay or prevent worsening AMD, but unfortunately it can still reoccur down the road. It is important to note that new treatments are making AMD more manageable on a day-to-day basis, but there is limited funding for research on this disease.

The first line of defense is seeing your eye care professional on a regular basis and getting a comprehensive, dilated eye exam. Sometimes AMD can be detected before symptoms start. An early diagnosis may delay vision loss.

https://www.macular.org/what-macular-degeneration

https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amd.htm

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-macular-degeneration/symptoms-causes/syc-20350375