Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over age 65. As the baby-boomers age, a greater percentage of people will be affected by this disease. There are two main types of AMD, wet and dry. Infrequently, doctors may diagnose young people with non-age related macular degeneration. Treatments and suggested supplements will depend on the type of macular degeneration diagnosed by your doctor.
Macular Degeneration
AMD affects your macula, the middle part of your retina responsible for sharp, central vision. The macula is on the inside and back wall of your eye, and one or both eyes may be affected. You are using your macula, for example, to read this sentence. A healthy macula is also necessary to recognize faces and to drive a car. Symptoms of macular degeneration include a gray or blurred spot in your central vision, a general haziness to your vision, increased need for light when doing detailed work and difficulty reading or recognizing faces. Macular degeneration leaves peripheral vision untouched. If you notice any changes to your vision, visit your eye doctor as soon as possible.
Wet AMD
Wet AMD affects only about 10 to 15 percent of AMD patients, and compared to dry AMD, results in an increased loss of vision. In wet AMD, tiny, fragile blood vessels grow around the macula, leaking blood or fluid behind the macula.
Medical treatments for wet AMD aim to prevent your vision from getting any worse. Medications used to stop the growth of the fragile blood vessels include Lucentis, Avastin, and Macugen. Your doctor will inject one of these medications directly into the eye at 4-week intervals. These medications may improve existing vision by allowing your body to reabsorb the fluid behind the retina. Laser therapy destroys abnormal blood vessels that are not directly under the macula to prevent further macular damage. Photodynamic therapy uses light to activate a drug called Visudyne. Your doctor injects this medication into a vein where it then moves into the abnormal blood vessels behind the macula. A laser activates the drug, destroying the abnormal blood vessels.
Dry AMD
Dry AMD occurs when drusen, yellowish deposits of waste material resulting from aging and thinning of the macular tissue, accumulates in the macula. This type of AMD progresses more slowly than wet AMD and the vision loss is typically not as severe. In July 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the use of an implantable miniature telescope to improve the sight of AMD patients. The miniature telescope is implanted into one eye in the same place as your natural lens, where it enlarges images from 2.2 to 2.7 times. The implant focuses central vision away from the damaged macula and onto healthy areas of the retina.
Nutrients
Some dietary nutrients have shown promise in slowing the progression of dry AMD. The National Eye Institute noted that patients taking an antioxidant vitamin and mineral formula had delayed progression of their AMD. This formula included 400 IU of vitamin E, 500 mg of vitamin C, 15 mg of beta-carotene, 2 mg of copper and 80 mg of zinc. If you are interested in trying this formula, consult with your doctor.
Prevention
Ask your doctor for advice if you are having difficulty managing your chronic diseases, such as diabetes or high blood pressure. Managing these diseases helps to reduce your risk of AMD. Talk to your doctor about programs to help you stop smoking. Smokers are more likely to develop macular degeneration than are non-smokers. Eat a diet rich in antioxidant-containing fruits and vegetables. Antioxidant vitamins reduce your risk of developing dry AMD. Choose more foods that contain omega-3 oils, such as salmon and walnuts, as these oils may reduce the risk of dry AMD.
