Home»Health-and-Fitness»Anti-Aging»Macular Degeneration: Early Detection is Crucial to Saving Sight

Macular Degeneration: Early Detection is Crucial to Saving Sight

Add to Favorites

Send to a Friend

Publish this on your site

Send to a friend by YM

Author: Patricia Woloch

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a very scary vision disorder that is typically associated with old age but can occur earlier in life.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a very scary vision disorder that is typically associated with old age but can occur earlier in life. The center of vision is lost, but peripheral vision is maintained. The condition can progress slowly or very rapidly, and early detection can prevent vision loss.

The macula is the center of the retina. When you see, light is focused on the retina, which processes the image. The macula processes the center of vision including fine tasks and reading. There are two types of macular degeneration:

· Dry AMD is the most common form, affecting about 85% to 90% of people with macular degeneration. Small deposits form in the macula, blurring central vision.

· Wet AMD is less common, but progresses much more quickly and causes more severe damage to vision. Abnormal blood vessels form behind the macula, leak fluid and form scar tissue.

Early detection is the key to saving vision

Wet macular degeneration progresses very quickly, but progression can be stopped with laser treatment. The only known treatment for dry AMD is nutritional support. If you experience any symptoms of AMD you must see your eye doctor immediately. Symptoms include:

Straight lines appear wavy
Dark or empty spots in the center of your vision
Difficulty or inability to see details such as faces or words on a page
Difficulty seeing at a distance
Difficulty distinguishing colors

Treatments for wet macular degeneration

The first step is to stop the progress of the damage. Laser treatment or photodynamic therapy is used to stop the fluid from leaking. Macugen and Lucentis are the two primary drugs used to treat wet AMD. Both drugs attack the protein that causes the abnormal vessel growth, and are administered by an injection into the eye. These drugs can slow or stop the progression and in many patients help to restore lost vision.

Treatment for dry macular degeneration

At this time the only treatment for dry AMD is nutritional support. Nutrients that have been successful in slowing or stopping the progression of damage and restoring lost vision include:

Zinc
Lutein
Zeaxanthin
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Omega-3 fatty acids
CoQ10
L-Carnitine
Taurine

Fresh vegetable juice is a great source of many of the nutrients needed to treat dry AMD. Causes and prevention

The cause of macular degeneration is not really known. Genetic predisposition seems to play a large role in who will and will not develop AMD. All of the nutritional support that is used to treat the condition can also help to prevent it from developing in the first place. People with a family history of macular degeneration should implement a prevention program as early in life as possible. Some contributing factors for AMD have been identified. Prevention depends largely on eliminating or minimizing habits and conditions including: