Macular degeneration: Chronic loss of clear vision
Submitted by Dr. Jack Zarybnisky
For The Voice
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic eye disease associated with aging which gradually destroys the part of the eye responsible for the sharp clear central vision. This area is called the macula.
Macular degeneration has a tendency to affect adults 50 years of age or older. Macular degeneration occurs in two forms; dry and wet.
There is no pain associated with the onset or development of macular degeneration. Its symptoms are:
Distinct changes in one’s vision; a need for increased light when reading; difficulty adapting to changes in vision when going from a brightly lit area to a dimly lit area; blurring when trying to read print; A gradual decrease in sensitivity to color; difficulty recognizing faces in advanced cases; and a black spot or blind spot as degeneration advances.
Dry macular degeneration occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula gradually deteriorate and the central vision worsens. Over a period of time as the nerves deteriorate, the central vision of the affected eye develops a black area.
Dry macular degeneration may affect one or both eyes with development of the deterioration being different in each eye. The vision in one eye can change at a different rate of speed compared to the other eye.
An early symptom of dry macular degeneration can be detected by the eye care professional. He or she will see yellow deposits under the retina.
For treatment of dry macular degeneration, researchers believe zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and vitamin A, C, and E help to lower the risk and slow down the progression of dry macular degeneration.
People who eat leafy green vegetables and have a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, may have a lower risk for macular degeneration. However, beta carotene (plentiful in many vegetables) has been linked to an increase in lung cancer in smokers.
Wet macular degeneration develops in only about 10 percent of all patients with AMD, but it is responsible for 90 percent of all of the vision loss from AMD.
In the wet form, abnormal blood vessels begin to grow from underneath the retina. This causes bleeding leakage and scarring in the macula, resulting in rapid and severe loss of central vision.
Treatments for wet macular degeneration include:
• Visudyne — Injected into the vein in your arm and travels with your circulation to the abnormal
blood vessels. Then the cold laser is turned on which causes a blood clot to form in the blood
vessels.
• Laser
• Macugen – This is an injection into the eye every six weeks, which is done nine times a year and
decreases the ability of the blood vessels to grow.
• Avistin — A cancer treatment, but is paid for by some insurances. It has been determined that a
high dosage of this vitamin and mineral formula significantly slowed the progress of moderate
to advanced wet AMD. This vitamin formula needs to be discussed with your eye professional on
an individual basis.
• Lucentis is another injection into the eyeball, but it has recently been recalled by the FDA.
• An Amsler grid is a chart you can use at home to help detect macular degeneration. If you see changes in the chart, it may be an indication of AMD.
An Amsler chart has been printed with this information. Test yourself for AMD by covering one eye. Stare at the center dot on the chart with the open eye. If the lines radiating from the center dot appear to be curved, you may have a measure of macular degeneration and should see an eye care professional.
