Genetic factors play a role in up to 70 per cent of cases of age-related macular degeneration. If you have a parent or sibling with AMD, you have a 50 per cent risk of getting it, too. This greater risk means it is very important to get your eyes checked regularly if you have a family history of AMD.
An estimated 2 million Americans have AMD. Scientists have found that age, diet and smoking influence the risk of developing AMD. Genetics also plays a strong role. AMD often runs in families and is more common among certain ethnicities, such as people of Asian or European descent.
Inheritance. Age-related macular degeneration usually does not have a clear-cut pattern of inheritance, although the condition appears to run in families in some cases.
Your risk for AMD increases as you get older. People age 55 and older are more likely to have AMD. The risk for AMD is also higher for people who: Have a family history of AMD.
It typically takes approximately 5-10 years to progress from early-stage macular degeneration to the advanced stages. In advanced stages, vision loss may be severe enough that patients may be legally considered blind and should not drive or use machinery.
For example, early signs of macular degeneration include blurry vision, trouble seeing in dim lights, and faded-looking colors. Your eye doctor isn't the only one responsible for your eye health. It's important that you know about the early signs of eye diseases.
Macular degeneration is an eye condition that causes central vision loss. To prevent further vision loss, macular degeneration can be effectively slowed with laser surgery. There is, unfortunately, no cure for this medical condition.
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.
Among these, the most researched are dietary risk factors, lifestyle, and light exposure. Many studies showed that a higher dietary intake of nutrients, such as lutein, zeaxanthin, beta carotene, omega-3 fatty acids and zinc, reduced the risk of early AMD.
Vitamins A, C, and E are the most effective vitamins for reducing the risk of macular degeneration [13]. However, only vitamin A plays an essential role in the human retinal pigment epithelial cells, whereas vitamins C and E are known to act as antioxidants.
AMD primarily affects people over the age of 50 and the incidence increases with age. A major risk factor is family history. If you have a direct family relative (parent or sibling) with AMD, you have a 50 per cent risk of developing it also.
Doctors usually treat macular degeneration with injectable drugs they administer into the blood or into the eye itself. Medicare partially covers some of these treatments, including various injections, under certain conditions.
Summary. People with AMD may be able to claim disability benefits if they have long-term vision loss affecting their ability to work or a combination of health problems that prevent them from working.
Macular degeneration is widespread.
The risk of getting advanced age-related macular degeneration increases from 2% for those ages 50-59, to nearly 30% for those over the age of 75.
Stem cells may be able to replace the retinal cells that are killed off by this disease. Doctors are devising ways to transplant these stem cells into the eye. One strategy is to layer the stem cells on thin scaffolds. Another tactic is to put the cells into a fluid suspension that can be injected under the retina.
The AAO suggests that cataract surgery will not affect a person's risk of developing macular degeneration. Although the surgery will not treat macular degeneration, it may help improve a person's vision if cataracts are the main cause of vision problems.
There's no cure for macular degeneration, but there are ways to manage the condition and slow its progression. Treatment options for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) vary depending on whether you have dry or wet macular degeneration, as well as what stage your condition is in: early, intermediate, or late.
When the cones, however, are weakened by disease, they lose their sensitivity to the lower-intensity wavelengths and are unable to send proper signals. Blue, green, and red (called spectral colors) are the easiest to see.
AMD and Sunglasses
To prevent further harm from ultraviolet radiation, patients with AMD are strongly encouraged to wear sunglasses outdoors at all times. UV protection in sunglasses is essential to safeguard the eyelids, cornea, lens and retina. Sunglasses that block 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation are best.
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.
A study done at Cornell University showed that an abundant ingredient in coffee called chlorogenic acid (CLA) is a strong antioxidant that may help prevent retinal disease like Age Related Macular Degeneration.
Eye health is a major concern in an aging population. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness. A long-term study of eye health showed a positive effect of dairy consumption. Dairy foods have antioxidants and reduce inflammation.
Either way, the nutrients found in avocados can save your eyes from damaging, oxidative stress that leads to poor vision. In addition to beta-carotene and vitamins B6, C, and E, avocados also contain lutein. Lutein prevents macular degeneration, cataracts, and other age-related eye issues.