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Getting Older? Watch Out For Age Related Macular Degeneration Eye Disease

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Even if your eyesight is perfect now there are many different types of eye diseases you could get. One type of disease is known as age related macular degeneration. To help you know what to look for, below is information about what this is, the risk factors, and the eye disease treatment options.

Age Related Macular Degeneration

Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that causes you to lose your central vision. You do keep your peripheral vision, however. The central vision is what you use to focus. Without this vision you would not see people's faces clearly, be able to watch television, problems reading, and much more.

This is referred to as age related because this eye disease is more common in senior adults. It is not uncommon, however, for someone much younger to have this disease.

Types of AMD

There are two types of AMD: dry and wet. Most people diagnosed with AMD have the dry type. With this, small yellow or white deposits form on your retina, which is below the macula. These deposits cause the macula to deteriorate over time. Dry AMD progresses much slower when compared to wet AMD

The wet type of AMD causes severe vision loss at a more rapid pace. With this type, abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and towards the macula. These abnormal vessels then leak fluid or blood. When this happens, the macula is damaged resulting in central vision loss.

AMD Risk Factors

Besides age being a risk factor there are other things that increase your chances of getting AMD in one or both eyes. One of these things is smoking, as the smoke gets in your eyes each time you take a puff. The smoke has chemicals in it that can damage the eyes.

You also have an increased risk if you have family members that have AMD. This is especially true if the family members are close, such as your mother or father or grandparents. You can have genetic testing done to see if you have the gene that causes AMD.

Treatment

There is no cure for AMD but there are some treatment options to slow down the progression of the disease. One of these is taking eye vitamins.

The doctor may suggest injections to help slow down the progression. With this the doctor injects drugs directly into your eye.

Photodynamic therapy is another type of treatment. With this a drug is injected into your arm. The drug then travels throughout the blood vessels directly to your eyes. Once the drug reaches your eyes it helps create new, healthy blood vessels.

Your eye doctor can go over this information with you in much more detail.


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