Macular Degeneration Treatment

In order to understand how to treat macular degeneration you have to understand what the disease is. The term encompasses both Wet and Dry forums of a degenerative eye disorder. Wet macular degeneration is the less common, though the more destructive and damaging forum of the two. Macular degeneration occurs when the macula, a part of the eye located in the retina becomes to be damaged and causes a loss of central vision. In dry macular degeneration cellular debris known as drusen accumulate and cause the problem. In wet macular degeneration it is the formation of blood vessels during a process called angiogenesis which cause pressure on the macula and are the concern.The macula is important, more than one might think, due to it is direct responsible for your central vision. As central vision is responsible for maintaining a quality of life, any negative deterioration in it is severe and will greatly hinder ones life. The causes are thought to be genetic, lifestyle, which includes drinking and smoking, and eye color and skin color, as both light eye color and fair skinned persons are more likely to develop the condition. Age is of course a significant factor as most of those suffering with the disease are in the 50 plus age group. The treatment for ry macular degeneration currently consists of high doses of particular nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin which are believed to slow the development of the disease. There is currently no surgical treatment. The treatment for wet macular degeneration is more broad. In addition to supplementing with the nutrients which also help the dry form, there are surgical alternatives and pharmaceutical methods also. Surgery involves using lasers to pinpoint the unwanted blood vessels and destroying them. However, this method has drawbacks and many patients are not approved for this in any event. Another consideration is that once the vessels are destroyed, the vision in that section will not return, and the area is permanently scarred. The pharmaceutical method involves injecting chemicals which act as anti-angieoness. This method looks to prevent the abnormal blood vessels from growing and do so in a way that causes no harm to the eye.It is important to realize that one should take precautions before hand if there is a family history of the disease or if there are risk factors. macular degeneration treatment can be benefited by taking supplemental nutrients such as lutein will help protect the macula. Beta-carotene, while important for the eye, has little impact on the macula. Making sure that ones diet is low in fat is also important as the disease is higher in those who eat diets high in fat. Another factor is light. Not the traditional ultraviolet light that is a concern, though that should also be taken into consideration as it is bad for the eye.

Macular Degeneration and Vitamins

You have a family history of Macular Degeneration. Your grandfather had it. Your father had it. Chances are that you have the makings of Macular Degeneration. In fact your optometrist has said that he has noticed some drusen. Drusen is aging spots.There is no cure at the moment for this disease. With Macular Degeneration your macula gets clogged with materials that clog and start to block that portion of your eye that is meant to give you clear and sharp central vision and color definition. It can`t be fixed with lenses and as it progresses can take sixty to seventy percent of your vision. It is not total blindness but close to it. It is not known what causes it.It comes in two types: dry and wet. Whatever one you may have it is a case of the retina clogging with material that cuts down on your central vision making it hard to read fine print. In the last stages it is like a solid fist in the center of your vision yet you can still see on the sides of your vision pattern You can improve or slow or even stop this Macular Degeneration. There is growing evidence that the use of vitamins, mineral and herbs can help fight Macular Degeneration. It is not a cure-all or a panacea but if you do nothing it is one hundred percent certain that macular degeneration vitamins will overtake you. First of all you must know that a macula is thin and fragile and it is located at the center of your retina. The problem comes when the macula starts to die because undigested materials gather and clog the cones in your eye. No signal can be sent through a part of the eye where the macula is not functioning. You start to see wavy lines. This is dry degeneration. I will not get into wet degeneration. You get the idea.So what can be done? I earlier stated something about vitamins and herbs and minerals. This is just one of the possible ways you can slow down the process.The first line of defense would be vitamin C. Vitamin C will help prevent the breaking of blood vessels in the retina. It can also prevent the growth of new blood vessels on the macula. You can get your C through fruits such as berries, lemons, grapes, plums, grapefruit, apricots and cherries which are high in a substance called bioflavonoid. A daily dose of 2,000 to 10,000 mg should do.And you will need vitamin A and D. You can get these by eating fish. You should eat trout, tuna, salmon, mackerel, cod and even sardines. Any excess A you get from your diet will be stored in your liver and will be drawn upon when your eyes need the A.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

As we age, our vision becomes more susceptible to certain diseases that can cause us to lose some or all of our sight. Age-related macular degeneration is one such disease, and it is the leading cause of major vision loss in seniors older than 60. Affecting the center of the retina, age-related macular degeneration causes vision distortion and loss in the center of the patient`s vision. It can advance to permanent loss of central vision if not properly monitored. There are two types of age-related macular degeneration: dry form and wet form. The dry form is significantly more common than the wet form. In dry age-related macular degeneration, the center of the retina begins to have a presence of deposits known as drusen. These collect and grow as the patient ages and cause the vision to dim or distort. Patients usually notice this first as they are reading, finding that the text becomes blurry or otherwise distorted. Dry form macular degeneration can cause patients to ultimately have blind spots in the center of their vision or to lose sight in the center of their vision completely.Wet form macular degeneration is caused by abnormal blood vessels growing around the retina, leaking blood and fluids into the retina. This form most often follows the presence of dry form degeneration and can cause permanent loss of the patient`s center of vision due to the abnormal vessels scarring .Early on, age-related macular degeneration usually does not have any obvious symptoms. It normally must progress before the patient will notice difficulties. Patients older than 60 should be aware of blurry or dim spots in the middle of their vision. The disease can also manifest itself as a change in color perception.Fortunately, age-related macular deterioration is easy to detect and diagnose during a routine medical exam. The drusen, or yellow spots, on the retina are visible when your doctor inspects your retina. Doctors can also use charts with straight lines and grids to determine whether you are having difficulties seeing properly. Early detection is essential to reduce the severity of the disease and its progression, so patients older than 60 must be sure to have an eye exam at least once a year.