By: Dr. Brandon Callow, Grabill Eye Center
Age related macular degeneration, or AMD, is a leading cause of vision loss for Americans age 50 and older, where the central part of the retina tissue in the back of the eye, called the macula, becomes damaged. Central vision is mostly affected which can interfere with daily tasks such as driving, reading and recognizing faces. A person’s vision may become blurry or wavy and a blind spot can develop. Side vision is typically unaffected so it does not cause total blindness.
There are two types of AMD; dry and wet. Dry is the most common form and typically progresses slowly. Dry AMD generally starts with the appearance of small yellow deposits in the macula called drusen. Drusen are accumulated waste products of the retina, which can grow in size and stop the flow of nutrients to the retina. This can cause the retinal cells in the macula that process light to die and cause vision to be blurred. Wet AMD generally causes more rapid and serious vision loss. With wet AMD, tiny new blood vessels grow under and into the retina. These vessels are fragile and can leak and break causing fluid or blood to build up under the retina. This fluid will blur and distort vision and can scar the cells causing permanent damage.
It is important to understand risk factors for AMD. Some risk factors are out of one’s control, such as family history, being over the age of 60, Caucasian race, and light colored eyes. Other risk factors can be controlled such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, high sun exposure, and poor diet. The single biggest risk factor, however, is smoking.
We now know this is a cause of macular degeneration, and according to the CDC, it doubles your chances of getting the disease. They also note, “Smoking may speed the deterioration (in AMD) by increasing the number of damaging chemical compounds or reducing the number of protective nutrients delivered by the bloodstream to the eye… and smoking reduces blood and oxygen to the eye.”
The key to slowing or preventing vision loss with AMD is regular eye exams with your optometrist. People over the age of 60 should have a full eye exam every one to two years. It is important to maintain a regular schedule of eye exams even if there are no vision problems. At an exam visual acuity can be checked and a dilated exam can be performed to monitor the health of the retina and macula. There are also scans that can be taken with a machine called an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) which can detect any early AMD development.
The only current treatment for dry AMD is dietary vitamins and other supplements. A study known as the AREDS study (Age Related Eye Disease Study), shows that combinations of vitamins C and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, and zinc can slow progression of dry AMD in people with moderate levels of disease. The treatment for Wet AMD is targeted at stopping the growth of those new fragile and leaky blood vessels. These can be prevented or halted by injections known as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs (anti-VEGF). Anti-VEGF drugs are delivered by injection into the eye by very specialized eye surgeons, Retina Specialists.
Healthy lifestyle habits can lead to healthy eyes and are the best things for preventing macular degeneration. Quitting smoking, eating healthy foods, especially brightly colored vegetables and leafy greens, and staying active can all have positive benefits not only on a person’s body as a whole but on their eyes as well. Regular eye exams are the best way for early detection of AMD and for deciding the best treatment if AMD is discovered. If you need an eye exam, Grabill Eye Center has the technology available to detect and Macular Degeneration. Dr. Callow can be reached at 260.627.1091 or www.grabilleye.com.
