Overview
The macular is a small central area at the back of the eye that is used for seeing fine detail. Degeneration in this area affects your ability to do tasks such as reading and writing or watching television. It does not affect your ability to walk around as your side vision is not affected. Macular degeneration (MD) usually presents itself in the later years of life, but can be found in younger persons who have a genetic history of the condition.
MD can be wet or dry. Wet MD happens when fluid leaks from newly formed blood vessels and pushes the macular away from its regular blood supply. In dry MD the tissue becomes thin and deposits build up behind the macular.
Symptoms
- Objects appear distorted in shape. Straight lines look wavy or curved.
- Gradual loss of ability to see objects clearly
- Loss of colour vision
- Dark or missing area in the centre of vision
Detection and diagnosis
In its early stages it may go unnoticed. In an eye examination, your optometrist will use the symptoms you report and perform a variety of tests to determine if you have macular degeneration or any other eye problems.
Treatment
There is currently no treatment for dry MD because low vision varies from person to person, there are different tools to help patients deal with vision loss. They include: Reading glasses with high-powered lenses, handheld magnifiers and large-print reading materials. Your optometrist can advise you on special magnifiers to help. Wet MD can be managed by an ophthalmologist if it is caught early using medication to shrink the new blood vessels that are causing the trouble. It is important to monitor the vision in each eye separately and contact your optometrist if your vision suddenly becomes distorted.
Smoking, obesity and a family history of MD are risk factors for developing MD. It is thought that a diet rich in coloured fruit and vegetables as well as oily fish may reduce your risk of developing MD. It is more common among white people, particularly those with blue eyes.