Do you always go blind with macular degeneration?
Macular Degeneration is a serious eye condition that can lead to blindness. It is actually one of the leading causes of blindness and vision impairment. This disease usually occurs in people over the age of 50, but can begin to develop as young as 40. The eye condition typically manifests with only mild symptoms, such as slight blurriness or vision distortion, and progressively gets worse.
The good news is, that you do not always go blind from macular degeneration. As with many conditions it is important to catch and identify macular degeneration as early as possible. The sooner you have a diagnosis, the better your chances of keeping your eye sight for as long as you can.
The symptoms of macular degeneration will get worse over time, which makes it extremely important to have an eye exam as soon as you notice anything even slightly wrong with your vision. Symptoms may include:
Blurriness
Difficulty seeing light or dark colors
Blind spots in central vision
Loss of visual acuity
Visual distortions
Objects that have straight lines looking slightly bent
Size or color of certain objects not looking the same in each of your eyes
Prevention is one of the best things you can do to reduce the risks of macular degeneration. A healthy diet is a good first step: fish and green leafy vegetables can be very helpful. Vitamins with high levels of certain antioxidants (E, C, A, and beta-carotene with zinc) have been found to offer significant benefits when it comes to reducing the likelihood of macular degeneration. Risk factors for macular degeneration can include genetic disposition, age, increased blood pressure, obesity, smoking and high cholesterol.
What is Macular Degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is a disease that blurs the sharp, central vision you need for straight-ahead activities such as reading, sewing, and driving. AMD affects the macula, the part of the eye that allows you to see fine details. Age-related macular degeneration does not cause any pain. There are actually two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet.
What is Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. As dry AMD gets worse, you may see a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, as less of the macula functions, central vision in the affected eye can be lost. If you have vision loss from dry AMD in one eye only, you may not notice any changes in your overall vision.
With the other eye seeing clearly, you can still drive, read, and see fine details. You may notice changes in your vision only if AMD affects both eyes. If you experience blurry vision, please call to make an appointment with us here at Perich Eye Center.
What are the Stages of Dry Macular Degeneration?
Dry aged-related macular degeneration has three stages — early AMD, intermediate AMD, and advanced dry AMD. All of these may occur in one or both eyes.
People with early dry AMD have either several small drusen or a few medium sized drusen. Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina, which often are found in people over age 50. People with early AMD have no symptoms and no vision loss.
If you have intermediate dry AMD you may have either many medium-sized drusen or one or more large drusen. You may also see a blurred spot in the center of their vision, or need more light for reading and other tasks. In addition to drusen, people with advanced dry AMD have a breakdown of light-sensitive cells and supporting tissue in the macula. This breakdown can cause a blurred spot in the center of your vision.
Over time, the blurred spot may get bigger and darker, taking more of your central vision. You may have difficulty reading or recognizing the faces of other people until they are very close to you.
What are the Symptoms of Dry Macular Degeneration?
The most common symptom of dry AMD is slightly blurred vision. You may have difficulty recognizing faces. You may need more light for reading and other tasks. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye while the other eye seems unaffected.
Dry macular degeneration is the most common type of this condition. Although there are currently no viable treatment options for dry macular degeneration, the condition is typically very slow to progress. Visual aids and certain vitamin therapies may be able to reduce some of the symptoms and preserve as much central vision as possible for some patients. Regular eye exams and consistent monitoring is very important to prevent dry macular degeneration from becoming a serious threat to your overall vision.
What is Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Wet (neovascular) macular degeneration is the most serious type. It can develop and progress extraordinarily fast. Caused by the abnormal formation of blood vessels and subsequent leakage of blood or fluid between the layers of the retina, wet macular degeneration can result in permanent tissue damage. Central vision loss and reduction in the ability to see fine details can be effects of wet macular degeneration. If wet macular degeneration occurs in one eye, the risk of it affecting the other eye is increased.
Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. With wet AMD, loss of central vision can occur quickly. Wet AMD is considered to be advanced AMD and is usually more severe than the dry form. The stages of wet AMD are different to dry AMD and are considered to be more advanced.
What are the Symptoms of Wet Macular Degeneration?
One of the fist symptoms of wet AMD is seeing straight lines appear wavy. If you notice this condition or other changes to your vision, contact us here at Perich Eye Center at once. We will get you in right away for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
All people who have the wet form first had the dry form of AMD. The dry form can advance and cause vision loss without turning into the wet form. The dry form also can suddenly turn into the wet form, even during the early stages of AMD. There is no way to tell if or when the dry form will turn into the wet form.
Both the wet and dry form of AMD are considered advanced AMD. In most cases, only advanced AMD can cause vision loss.
How is Macular Degeneration Detected?
Macular Degeneration is detected during a comprehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test and dilated eye exam.
The visual acuity test is an eye chart test that measures how well you see at various distances.
In the dilated eye exam, drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina and optic nerve for signs of AMD and other eye problems. After the exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
What Can I Do to Protect My Vision?
To protect your vision, we recommend that you have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year, so that we can monitor your condition and check for other signs of eye disease.
During your visit, it is also possible that we will advise that you take the AREDS supplementation.
During an eye exam, we may ask you to look at an Amsler grid. This is an eye test that involves covering one eye and staring at a black dot in the center of a lined grid.
Signs that are indicative of AMD include seeing some of the lines in the grid as missing and the pattern in the grid appearing wavy.
It is important to know that Dry AMD can become Wet AMD. This is why we at Perich Eye Center recommend you schedule an appointment to come see us for testing in person.
Can My Lifestyle Make a Difference?
Yes, lifestyle changes can help make a difference in not just your overall health but in protecting your vision as well. Here are some tips we recommend to help reduce your risk of developing AMD:
-Refrain from smoking. If you are a current smoker, we recommend that you get the support you need to help you quit
-Eat a healthy diet full of greens, vegetables, fruits and fresh fish - Avoid red meat and pork
-Exercise, do yoga, and meditate
-Maintain a healthy weight
-Develop good strategies to reduce and deal with stress
-Monitor your blood pressure.
We can not stress enough how important it is to have your annual exam no matter how good or steady your eye sight has been over the years. The sooner we can detect a change in your eye health, the sooner we can help to prevent it from getting worse and you can start to make the lifestyle changes that can help. Don’t feel shy if it has been awhile since you have had an appointment or even years! Call on of our Perich Eye Centers that is most convenient to you today to get you in for your check up!
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