Macular Degeneration Treatment

What is Macular Degeneration?

The macula is a small area in the center of the retina at the back of the eye that allows you to see fine details clearly and perform activities such as reading and driving. The retina is like the film or CCD sensor in a camera. Macular degeneration – both wet macular degeneration or dry macular degeneration – is a deterioration or breakdown of the macular area. Macular degeneration symptoms include blurry vision, dark areas or distortion, particularly within your central vision.

Macular degeneration symptoms show up in near and far sight and can make activities like threading a needle or reading either difficult or impossible. Although both dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration reduce vision in the central part of the retina, they usually do not affect the eye’s peripheral, or side, vision. For example, a common macular degeneration symptom would be seeing the outline of a clock but not being able to tell what time it is.

Wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration are the leading cause of severe vision loss in the elderly Caucasian population of the United States. A macular degeneration test by your eye doctor can determine if you’ve been affected by the eye disease, as well as what macular degeneration treatment is best for you.

What Causes Macular Degeneration Symptoms?

Many older people develop macular degeneration symptoms as part of the body’s natural aging process. There are different kinds of macular degeneration – including wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration – but the most common is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Exactly why it develops is not known, and no macular degeneration treatment has been uniformly effective.

The greatest risk factor in developing macular degeneration symptoms is age. People over the age of 60 are at greater risk than other age groups, and the risk of getting age-related macular degeneration increases with age. Women, Caucasians, lightly-pigmented people (blond hair, fair skin, blue-eyes) and those who have a family history of the eye disease also are more likely to develop macular degeneration symptoms. Other risk factors include diet, heart disease, sun exposure and smoking. Smoking is the major preventable risk factor for the development of age-related macular degeneration. However, the exact cause of the eye disease still poorly understood. Your eye doctor can determine if you’re experiencing symptoms of macular degeneration with a simple macular degeneration test, which will allow your doctor to create the best macular degeneration treatment program for your eyes.

What Are Wet Macular Degeneration and Dry Macular Degeneration?

The two most common types of age-related macular degeneration are “dry” (atrophic) and “wet” (exudative).

Dry macular degeneration (atrophic): Most people have the “dry” form of AMD. Dry macular degeneration is caused by aging and the thinning of the tissues of the macula. This form causes a gradual decline in your central vision and worsening distortion. There is no pain with this type of macular degeneration.

Wet macular degeneration (exudative). The “wet” form of macular degeneration accounts for about 10 percent of all AMD cases. Wet macular degeneration results when abnormal blood vessels form underneath the retina at the back of the eye. These new blood vessels leak fluid or blood, causing blurry vision. Vision loss may be rapid and severe. Most wet macular degeneration begins as dry macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration treatment is available through your eye doctor, with a macular degeneration test as the first step.

What Is the Dry Macular Degeneration Treatment?

As always, getting a macular degeneration test from your eye doctor is a good first step. Dry eye macular degeneration currently cannot be cured, but this does not mean that you will lose your sight. Fortunately, dry macular degeneration develops very slowly. You may lose some of your central vision over the years. However, most people are able to lead normal, active lives – especially if macular degeneration symptoms affect only one eye.

Dry macular degeneration treatments can include taking over-the-counter vitamin supplements. These vitamins, based on The Age-Related Eye Disease Study, should be taken under the close supervision of your eye doctor, and only after a macular degeneration test. Additionally, controlling your cholesterol and blood pressure levels and not smoking are recommended to improve macular degeneration symptoms. Routinely checking each eye with an Amsler Grid can also help you pick up changes in dry eye macular degeneration between your follow-up visits with your eye doctor.

Nutritional Supplements for Macular Degeneration Treatment

Although the exact causes of macular degeneration are not fully understood, antioxidant vitamins in combination with other supplements can reduce the impact of macular degeneration in some people. Dr. Mark Maria points out that a large scientific study found that people at risk for developing advanced stages of macular degeneration lowered their risk by about 25 percent when treated with a high dose combination of vitamin C (500 mg), vitamin E (400 iu), Lutein (10 mg), Zeaxanthin (2 mg), zinc (80 mg) and copper (2 mg). Another large study in women showed a benefit from taking folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12. Among those who have either no macular degeneration symptoms or very early AMD, the supplements did not appear to provide an apparent benefit.

Guidelines were also recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that recommend a multivitamin supplement for all adults. Some European studies (including the Rotterdam study) show antioxidant micronutrient supplements may slow the earlier stages of wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration, or lower the risk of developing macular degeneration symptoms by 35%.

Recommendations for Macular Degeneration Treatment

Dr. George Fava states that it is very important to remember that vitamin supplements are not a cure for macular degeneration, nor will they restore blurry vision that has already been lost. However, specific amounts of these supplements do play a key role in helping some people at high risk for advanced wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration to maintain their vision. You should speak with your eye doctor to determine if you are at risk for developing advanced AMD and to learn if supplements are recommended for your macular degeneration treatment. A proper diet, regular exercise program, control of known medical conditions and avoiding ultraviolet exposure through use of sunscreens and quality sunglasses are all important to maintaining healthy eyes and a healthy body.

At Fava and Maria Eye Associates, our eye doctors recommend a supplement regimen for at-risk patients with macular degeneration symptoms. Supplements can be obtained through our office, your pharmacy, your health food store or online. The quality and availability of nutrients for macular degeneration symptoms can vary widely. There is some evidence that natural supplements are more readily absorbed than synthetic.

Certain cautions apply to using vitamin and mineral supplements for macular degeneration treatment. As always, allow your eye doctor to do a full macular degeneration test before beginning any treatment. Additionally, smokers and former smokers should not use Beta Carotene in the recommended amounts and instead should use a different form of Vitamin A. Zinc should not be taken without copper to prevent anemia or cardiovascular disease. Caution should also be used when combining different vitamins in order to avoid overdosing. Most vitamins should be consumed with food to aid absorption and reduce the possibility of stomach irritation. Please check with your eye doctor for current supplement recommendations for dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration.

What Is Wet AMD Treatment?

Wet macular degeneration can occur at any time in either eye. Wet macular degeneration symptoms are a very sudden, rapid and severe loss of central vision. Abnormal blood vessels grow into your macula, causing bleeding and swelling. The damage to your macula can cause permanent loss of central vision. Fortunately, wet AMD treatment is available. In the past, lasers were used for wet AMD treatment. However, these laser treatments have largely been replaced by more effective therapies that include medicines injected directly into the eye at regular intervals. Although a repeated-injection wet AMD treatment may sound frightening and painful, most patients say the anticipation is worse than the actual injection.

There are several medicines that can be administered into the eye to treat wet macular degeneration. Your eye doctor will discuss with you the one most appropriate for your macular degeneration symptoms. With the injections, continued loss of vision can often be halted, thereby maintaining your vision. A good percentage of people do enjoy an improvement in vision as well with these wet AMD treatments.

As with any medical procedure, there is a small risk of complications following these injections for wet macular degeneration. These usually are from the injection itself, which in rare circumstances can injure the eye’s lens or retina or lead to an infection. For most patients, the benefit of the wet AMD treatments far outweigh the small risk of injection injury.

Life With Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Early detection and treatment may reduce the loss of vision from dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration. However, if some loss of vision or blurry vision should occur, it doesn’t have to rob you of life’s simplest pleasures if you learn how to use your remaining eyesight. Low vision aids, special lenses or electronic systems and training can maximize your ability to read and perform other activities. Ask your eye doctor about additional information on low vision aids. We have low vision specialists on staff to help cope with this common and often frustrating problem. Remember, the first step is a macular degeneration test with your eye doctor.