What Is Macular Degeneration
The word “macula” refers to visual field, and by Macular Degeneration, it generally means a deterioration of visual field, a form of visual impairment, usually related to age due to damage of the retina. It may occur in both “dry” and “wet” forms, and usually affects older individuals age 50 years and above, resulting in the common term of “age related macular degeneration”, sometimes shortened to AMD or ARMD.
Source: nlm.nih.gov
This visual impairment makes it difficult or impossible to recognize faces, even though there is still enough visual capacity to allow other activities in daily life.
How Does It Happens?
Individuals experience problems with the retina and the choroid. While the retina contains nerves for sight communication, the choroid supplies blood to the center of the retina, which is called the macula. For those with dry macular degeneration, cellular debris accumulate between the retina and the choroid. These debris, called drusen, detach the retina. In the wet version, vision loss is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the choriocapillaris. It leads to blood and protein leakage below the macula.
The Treatment
Dry macular degeneration may be treated with laser coagulation, and some some medication that stops or reverse the growth of blood vessels. Patients with drusen deposits may develop into advanced ARMD, and it may become visible as the yellowish deposits in the macula accumulates. Some research results suggest that the large and soft drusen are related to cholesterol deposits, hence may respond to cholesterol-lowering medications.
Doctors may suggest also vitamin supplements and high doses of antioxidants of lutein and zeaxanthin to slow down the advancement of dry macular degeneration. These suggestions are accepted by the US National Eye Institute.
There is, however, no effective treatment yet for wet macular degeneration. As bleeding, leaking and scarring from blood vessels happen, causing damage to the photoreceptors and rapid vision loss if left untreated, new drugs called anti-angiogenics or anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) agents are developed. These agents may cause regression of the abnormal blood vessels and improvement of vision. Application is topical with the agents injected directly into the vitreous humor of the eye.
Injections are to be repeated monthly or bi-monthly, depending on the patient’s condition. These doses do not come cheap. Meanwhile, some other doctors may also use photodynamic therapy to treat wet ARMD.
Prevention
There is a method, called Alta Eficacia Method, that helps to prevent ARMD. This method uses a filter that prevents passage of part of the spectrum of blue and violet light to prevent against blindness. The choice of blue and violet light passage is because of research relating the violet light spectrum to the physiopathogenesis of ARMD. This is the leading cause of irreversible and blindness in most developed countries. The method was patented by Alta Eficcia Tecnologia. It was developed by Celia Sanches-Ramos, and the patent was for Therapeutic Contact Lens for Pseudophakic Eyes and/or Eyes Suffering Neurodegeneration.
Although there are always doctors advise of taking beta-carotene rich foods to avoid visual impairment especially at later stages of life, it seems that it will have no help to prevent macular degeneration. However, taking good care of the health of your eyes earlier in life certainly does benefit, and speed up recovery from any eye treatment later on.
Learn more about Macular Disease below: