As we age our vision changes, which is normal throughout the course of our lives. For people over 60, the leading cause of vision loss is Macular Degeneration. It is a disease that is characterized by abnormal, leaky blood vessels that form under the retina and destroys your central vision. It affects the ways you see objects clearly and perform tasks such as reading and driving. This disease usually produces a slow, or rarely, sudden painless loss of vision.
Early signs of vision loss associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can include:
- seeing shadowy areas in your central vision
- experiencing unusually fuzzy or distorted vision.
Quality of life can be severely affected. And although there is no cure for macular degeneration, there are therapies that can stabilize and somewhat improve vision.
Understanding the Causes
The cause of this degeneration is the growth of new blood vessels in an area where they are not supposed to be. There are two types, Dry and Wet Macular. Dry macular degeneration is diagnosed when yellowish spots begin to accumulate from deposits or debris from deteriorating tissue in the area of the macula. Although you still will have vision loss, dry macular is not as severe as the wet form of Macular Degeneration.
Wet macular degeneration occurs with formation of abnormal blood vessels and leakage in the back of the eye (retina). Both Columbia University and Duke University have released reports indicating a deficient gene that is associated with almost all blinding cases of Macular Degeneration. Studies are still being done to find ways to prevent blindness from occurring.
A new drug, Lucentis, is available that hinders the growth of abnormal blood vessels. This treatment can stop and in most cases, reverse the damage caused. Before Lucentis, doctors treated the eye condition with Avastin; however, clinical drug trials show Lucentis has more promise. Lucentis is much more expensive, costing up to 100% more than Avastin.
