The optometrist at your local optician's practice can test sight, prescribe glasses and check for eye disease. Some optometrists use photography or other imaging to detect early signs of macular degeneration. These might include optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans which create cross-sectional images of the retina.
CHROMA Eye Doctors Can Help Manage AMD
Macular degeneration is a significant risk to your eye health and vision, but your optometrist can help manage this disease. They can diagnose this disease as early as possible, recommend ways to lower your risk and provide a customized treatment plan to protect your vision.
Fluorescein angiography.
During this test, your eye doctor injects a dye into a vein in your arm. The dye travels to and highlights the blood vessels in your eye. A special camera takes pictures as the dye travels through the blood vessels. The images will show if you have leaking blood vessels or retinal changes.
A recent study reveals how frequently dilated eye exams miss incidents of AMD. The cross-sectional study, which included 1,288 eyes in 644 adult patients who were enrolled in the Alabama Study on Early Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ALSTAR), revealed that doctors miss AMD about 25% of the time.
People with dry AMD will exhibit changes in the cell layer underneath the retina. They will also likely have drusen deposits in the eye and may experience damage to the retina itself. People with wet AMD may have fluid buildup around the retina as well as waste deposits around the macula.
At first, you may simply notice blurred or distorted vision. With wet AMD, the details of the blurred vision could include a blind spot in the center of your field of vision. This blank area could be gray, red, or black.
Autosomal dominant retinal dystrophies that may masquerade as AMD include cone dystrophy, adult vitelliform dystrophy, pattern dystrophy, North Carolina macular dystrophy, Doyne honeycomb dystrophy and Sorsby macular dystrophy.
Fluorescein Angiography
If your doctor suspects that you may have the wet type of AMD, he or she may conduct this test to detect leaking blood vessels. The doctor injects fluorescent dye into your arm and traces it through the blood vessels in the retina, where the appearance of fluorescent patches can reveal leakage.
The general timeline for the progression of dry AMD from the initial diagnosis to significant vision loss is usually over several years, often within 10 years. However, with the right treatment, many AMD patients can reduce the risk of significant vision loss and preserve their vision for many years.
Miller, M.D., “With metabolomics, we can identify blood profiles associated with AMD and its severity through laboratory testing.
Gene therapy for wet AMD
Gene therapy is a promising alternative to ongoing eye injections of drugs such as Eyelea, Lucentis and Avastin. The goal of gene therapy is to provide a 'one-and-done' treatment by helping the eye make its own anti-VEGF medicine.
Wet (exudative) AMD: accounts for 10% of AMD but results in 90% of blindness. Severe rapid visual loss occurs.
The most common treatment doctors use to slow vision loss from wet AMD is called anti-VEGF injections. These medicines help stop bleeding and leaking from blood vessels in the back of your eye. Most people with wet AMD will get anti-VEGF injections as their only treatment.
AMD can make it unsafe for you to drive. Ask your specialist if they think you should stop driving. You're required by law to tell DVLA about your condition if: it affects both eyes.
It is possible to develop AMD in only one eye. However, as the disease progresses both eyes may become affected. If an individual has macular degeneration in one eye, he or she is more likely to develop it in the other eye than someone who does not.
For now, there's no way to reverse damage from dry macular degeneration. However, there are many clinical trials in progress. If your condition is diagnosed early, you can take steps to help slow its progression, such as taking vitamin supplements, eating healthy and not smoking.
Some people who have macular degeneration still have 20/20 vision and do not have symptoms but this disease will most likely cause a need for reading glasses and in minority of people, will cause central vision loss.
Warning Sign 1: Blurred Vision
Your vision blurs over time, particularly when trying to focus on things close up. You may find you need more light for reading, or can't quite make out the writing on a medicine bottle. Straight lines may also appear distorted and/or wavy. These symptoms continually get worse.
Getting Enough Treatment
All of the studies now show that, on average, patients need between six to eight shots a year. Some patients may need fewer, some patients more, but long-term, sustained treatment is important for disease control.
Treatment of wet AMD requires monthly or bimonthly injections of drugs called anti-VEGF — or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor — into the eye. Anti-VEGF agents can slow or stop the growth of the leaky blood vessels and, in most cases, effectively stave off further vision loss.
Mental stress results in the higher production of a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is known to contribute to leakage and inflammation. The leakage may result in the build-up of fluids in the back of the eye resulting in macular edema.
The dry type is more common, but it usually progresses slowly over years. The wet type is more likely to cause a relatively sudden change in vision resulting in serious vision loss.
Medicare states that it typically covers up to 80% of the cost of specific injectable treatments for macular degeneration under Medicare Part B if a healthcare professional deems them medically necessary. Costs and approval can vary depending on a variety of factors.