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conditions > Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration
What is Macular Degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a retinal degenerative
disease that causes progressive loss of central vision. Macular
Degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in adults over
60.
The macula is the central part of the retina responsible
for our most acute and detailed vision. With the loss of
central vision, however, color vision and peripheral vision
may still remain clear. Vision loss usually occurs progressively
and typically affects both eyes at different rates.
Causes of Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration occurs in two forms; Dry
AMD and Wet AMD.
The majority of patients have the "dry" form,
which causes a thinning of the macular tissues and disturbances
in the pigmentation. There is uncertainty regarding the causes
of dry AMD. Studies indicate that an area of the retina
becomes diseased
leading to a gradual loss of the light-sensing cells
in the macula and a gradual loss of central vision.
Despite Wet AMD affecting only a minority
of AMD patients it still causes 90% of blindness
from
the disease. As dry
AMD
deteriorates,
Wet AMD can be caused by the growth of new blood
vessels. The Wet form
can involve bleeding in and under the retina,
deposits, and scar tissue. Wet AMD causes rapid
damage to the macula and can lead to the loss of central
vision in a short period of time.
Diagnosis of Macular Degeneration
Typical Symptoms of Macular degeneration include:
• Loss of central vision
• Difficulty reading or viewing in detail
• Distorted vision
Tests involved in diagnosing Age related Macular degeneration
include the following tests:
• Visual Acuity test
• Amsler grid
test
• Ophthalmoscopy
• Fundus photography
• Fluorescein
Angiography
The central vision may become blurred
or distorted during the early stages of macular degeneration.
The advanced condition will often
cause a blank patch or dark spot in the centre
of vision. This makes activities like reading, writing
and
recognizing small objects or faces very difficult.
Treatments for Macular Degeneration
There is no proven medical therapy for dry macular degeneration
but research indicates that high doses of vitamin supplements
can help reduce the likelihood of severe vision
loss in some patients with dry macular degeneration.
In
certain cases of wet macular degeneration, laser photocoagulation
is effective for sealing leaking or bleeding
vessels. Laser photocoagulation does not normaly restore
lost vision, but may prevent further loss of vision.
Treatments include:
Conventional Thermal Laser Treatment
Less than 20 percent
of patients qualify for conventional laser treatment.
Photodynamic Therapy
The treatment is most effective
in only a small number of wet
macular degeneration patients.
Transpupillary Thermotherapy
Initial studies suggest that
this may be an effective treatment, but limited information
is available on how much better patients fare with this
treatment.
Submacular Surgery
Submacular surgery involves the removal of effected tissue,
however the surgery is likely to remove a layer of cells
on the
retinal, resulting in disappointing visual results.
Macular Translocation Surgery
This technique has not been proven but results are promising.
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