What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular Degeneration is a degenerative disease that affects a small spot in the central area of the retina located in the back of the eye.  This area is called the macula.  The macula is the most important area of the retina for vision.  Macular Degeneration is most often related to aging, but it can occur for other reasons.  It is probably hereditary in nature therefore can be seen in families.  There are two types of macular degeneration: dry and wet.  The most common type  is the dry type.  When spots on the retina (called drusen)  are present for long periods of time, the retina may thin and stop working properly.  This causes a slow and progressive loss of vision. The other type of macular degeneration is the wet type.  This is seen by abnormal blood vessels growing under the macula, causing the central vision to be reduced.

What are the symptoms of Macular Degeneration?

Several symptoms can be identified with macular degeneration.  Some of these include:

Vision can be blurred for distance and reading.
Distortion of vision may be noted.
A dark spot in the central part of your vision may be seen.
The size of an object may appear different between the two eyes.

Treatment:

At this time, there is no way to control or prevent macular degeneration.  In some cases of the wet type of macular degeneration, a laser can be used to treat the new blood vessel growth, but only if the disease is found in the early stages.  It is thought that vitamins with antioxidants can aid in the slowing down of the progression of macular degeneration.  Because reading vision can be affected with macular degeneration, vision aids for reading can be useful in adjusting to the symptoms of this disease.

 

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