Macular Degeneration Specialist

What is age-related macular degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that occurs when the macula — the part of your retina that's largely responsible for central vision, color vision, and detailed images — starts to break down. There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration, dry and wet. 

Dry age-related macular degeneration

The dry form of the disease is by far the most common, making up 90% of all cases. If you have dry age-related macular degeneration, your macula cells are steadily breaking down. 

In the initial stages of dry age-related macular degeneration, you might not have any symptoms. However, it's a progressive disease, and eventually, vision problems begin in the mid-to-late stages. 

Symptoms of dry age-related macular degeneration can include:

• Visual distortions, like straight lines appearing wavy
• The need for increased light when reading
• Difficulty seeing in low light conditions
• Faded-looking colors

Wet age-related macular degeneration

The wet form of the disease is the most serious. Dry age-related macular degeneration can turn into the wet form of the disease over time. The wet version of age-related macular degeneration always starts as the dry version. 

In wet age-related macular degeneration, new abnormal blood vessels develop in your eye and then start leaking. Symptoms appear suddenly, and can include:

• Blurry vision
• Partial central vision loss
• Light sensitivity
• Straight lines that look wavy

If you suspect either type of age-related macular degeneration, get expert help from the Eye Care & Surgery team now.

How is age-related macular degeneration diagnosed?

The Eye Care & Surgery team uses a variety of sophisticated tools to diagnose age-related macular degeneration. A dilated eye exam is always the first step, and testing might include fundoscopy and fundus photography to examine your retina under high magnification. 

If your eye doctor suspects wet age-related macular degeneration, they may inject a special dye intravenously in your arm, which highlights abnormal blood vessels in photographs.

Is age-related macular degeneration treatable?

Although there's not a cure, you can delay the disease progression with your eye doctor's help. A high-dose blend of antioxidants, along with specific vitamins and minerals, can enhance eye health and might prevent the dry form of the disease from progressing.  

Wet age-related macular degeneration treatment typically involves inner-eye injections that prevent abnormal blood vessel growth. These anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections can be quite effective in delaying the progression of the disease. In some cases, anti-VEGF injections may even give you moderate vision gains. 

Another option for wet age-related macular degeneration treatment is photodynamic therapy, which combines laser light and medication to destroy abnormal blood vessels. 

Your Eye Care & Surgery care provider is here to help you keep your sight, so book online or call the Eye Care & Surgery office nearest you for age-related macular degeneration help now.

Do you suffer from Cataracts? Ask us how Cataract Surgery can help you today.