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Posted under Eye Conditions
For those of you who are new to the vision world of macular degeneration, the two most common types of age related macular degeneration (AMD) are dry AMD and wet AMD.
The reason for the use of the words “dry” and “wet” is that in the wet form, tiny capillaries start growing under the macula, the center of the retina. These capillaries are very fragile and start to leak fluid and blood which causes photoreceptor cells to die . The fluid and blood also raises the normally flat macula. The result is sudden and severe vision changes such as straight lines appearing wavy and a gray or black spot appearing right in the middle of one’s vision. Dry age related macular degeneration does not have these leaking blood vessels and so it gets the name “dry.”
Cause of Macular Degeneration
However, people who have wet macular degeneration almost always start out with the dry form. The dry form of this retinal condition is the result of changes in the layers of the retina. These layers are responsible in delivering important nutrients and oxygen to the macula and to remove waste products that have built up. When either of these delivery systems no longer function optimally, the results is degeneration of the photoreceptor cells.
Dry Macular Degeneration Symptoms
Vision changes for dry macular degeneration are more gradual and subtle. You may notice that you need more light to read a book or to check your mail. It may be harder to distinguish the navy blue socks from the black socks. Colors appear dull and less vivid. You may become more sensitive to glare or your eyes may have a harder time adjusting when going from bright sunlight to a darker room . Objects appear somewhat blurry rather than sharp and distinct.
Dry Macular Degeneration Stages
Although wet macular degeneration normally causes more severe vision changes, advanced dry macular degeneration can also mean a loss of central vision. The three stages are early AMD, intermediate, and then advanced AMD or geographic atrophy. Macular drusen are small yellow deposits found during a retina exam. The size, shape and number of drusen are an indicator of the stage of AMD.
Dry Macular Degeneration Treatment
There are several clinical trials that are looking for effective ways to treat dry AMD. Inflammation seems to play a key role in this degenerative eye disease. An anti-inflammatory diet helps to reduce chronic inflammation in our bodies. Many studies have shown that antioxidants whether from food or supplements play a key role in our eye health.
Find out more about what causes dry AMD and what you can do to help support your vision health by going to:
Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration
Better Health for Better Vision
Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
www.WebRN-MacularDegeneration.com
Posted under Eye Conditions
Perhaps you or someone close to you has recently received a diagnosis of age related macular degeneration (AMD). Depending on the eye doctor, an explanation of this retinal disease was very brief or perhaps the diagnosis was so overwhelming it was difficult to hear anything else that was said.
I remember when my father-in-law was first diagnosed with macular degeneration, all he could tell us was that he had the type of AMD that didn’t cause severe vision loss. Several years later my mother-in-law informed us that his wet macular degeneration had turned to dry macular degeneration – which is not possible. Clearly she and my father-in-law did not have a good understanding of his macular disease. Knowing one’s diagnosis is the first step in dealing with vision loss. Did you know that each eye can have a different form or a different type of macular degeneration? One eye can have dry AMD while the other eye may have wet AMD. So be sure to ask your doctor about each eye.
Macular degeneration is a progressive disease – meaning that without any intervention the normal progression is for one’s vision to get worse. However, it is one’s central vision or straight ahead vision that is affected, not one’s side or peripheral vision. The two main forms of AMD are dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration.
Dry Macular Degeneration
Dry macular degeneration is the most common form of AMD. According to the National Eye Institute, “More than 85 percent of all people with intermediate and advanced AMD combined have the dry form.” There are several different stages to this eye disease. Vision loss varies from person to person and is dependent on the stage of their macular degeneration. The most common symptoms are the need for more light, blurred vision, and less vivid color vision. This type of AMD progresses more slowly than the wet form, however dry AMD can turn to wet AMD in one or both eyes.
Wet Macular Degeneration
Wet macular degeneration gets it name from the leaking fluid that comes from tiny, fragile blood vessels that develop under the macula. This fluid buildup causes the death or degeneration of photoreceptor cells and also causes the macular, a tiny spot in the middle of the retina to raise up. As a result vision changes are more sudden and more severe. Straight lines appear wavy and a dark or gray spot appears in the middle of one’s vision.
For a better understanding of the stages of macular degeneration and to help you identify which stage your macular degeneration is in go to:
Stages of Macular Degeneration
Better Health for Better Vision
Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Posted under Eye Conditions
Awareness of macular degeneration is increasing as the baby boomer population continues to age. In generations long ago, family members knew that grandma or grandpa had lost some of their vision, but they didn’t know why there was loss of vision or the name of the eye disease. Now thanks to years of research and better diagnostic testing, so much more is known and understood about this retinal condition.
One thing we know is that there is a strong genetic component, which means that if one of your parents or one of your siblings has macular degeneration, you are at a much higher risk for developing age related macular degeneration (AMD). My husband’s father has wet macular degeneration as did many of his father’s brothers and sisters. So of course we’d like to know as soon as possible if any early signs of AMD start to appear. However, there are also many people who develop AMD who do not have any family history or the commonly known risk factors.
So how do you find out if your eyes are at risk for developing the number one cause of legal blindness in seniors? Or how do you find out if your changes in vision like loss of visual sharpness, the need for more light or sensitivity to glare are symptoms of macular degeneration? Perhaps you have been told that you have dry macular degeneration and are now wondering if it has progressed to wet macular degeneration.
Several different macular degeneration tests are now available that provide useful information for determining one’s risk for AMD, diagnosing early signs of dry macular degeneration or checking to see if one’s dry AMD has turned to wet AMD. Some tests are done by special machines that can check changes in the retina and some can be done at home to monitor vision changes. Retina specialists are needed for some tests while general opthhamologists or optometrists can perform general testing of the retina.
There are many benefits to finding out if you are at high risk for developing AMD or have a diagnosis of AMD. Early intervention whether it is through diet, lifestyle changes, supplements or treatment can have positive results in halting, reversing or slowing the progression of macular degeneration and the vision changes that come with it.
Get informed about what diagnostic tests are available and if you or someone you know should be asking your eye care professional about performing these tests.
Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Posted under Eye Conditions
What are Macular Drusen?
If you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration (AMD) you probably have heard your eye specialist mention something about seeing some drusen during your eye exam. In fact the development of these yellow deposits are they first signs of AMD. Some people have them even before they notice any changes in their vision. Macular drusen are yellow deposits that develop between the retinal pigment epithelium and the choroid layer – the layer of blood vessels that supply nutrients to the macula.
There are many factors that lead to the development of AMD, but one of them is the inability of the macula to get rid of waste products or to get oxygen rich nutrients from the underlying tissue. Drusen can contribute to the clogging up of this transport system. The photoreceptor cells, the rods and cones, require lots of oxygen and when they don’t receive enough of it, they begin to degenerate or die. The macula is made up of predominantly cone cells . Cone cells are responsible for our color vision, central vision and our detailed our sharp vision. As these cone cells die, colors are less vivid, detailed or sharp vision becomes blurry, and our straight ahead or central vision gets cloudy.
Types of Drusen
There are two types of drusen – hard and soft. It is important to know which ones you have. Hard drusen are small and round with very sharp borders. These well defined deposits are light yellow and thought to be less harmful. They become more common with age and may or may not indicate the early development of age related macular degeneration.
Soft drusen are different . They are larger with less defined borders. They vary in size and shape. When your eye doctor sees soft drusen during an eye exam there is more cause for concern. These deposits are thought to be more harmful because they interfere with waste products getting removed from the macula and rich oxygen getting to the macula. People who have soft drusen will often have more vision changes than those who have only hard drusen. They may find that they need more light to see bills, to read or perform hobbies. A smudge or blurry spot may appear in the center of their vision.
Questions for Your Eye Doctor
The next time you go for an eye exam ask your doctor about the drusen in your eyes.
Find out :
1. Do I have any drusen?
2. If so what kind of drusen do I have?
3. What size are they and how many large or medium size ones do you see?
The number, size and type of drusen help to define what stage of macular degeneration the person has. To learn more about the stages of macular degeneration and to see a picture of macular drusen go to:
Macular Drusen Picture and Stages of Macular Degeneration
Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Better Health for Better Vision
Posted under Eye Conditions
Inflammation plays a clear role in the development of age related macular degeneration (AMD). The normal healthy type of inflammation is the body’s response to a specific area that has had an injury.
The body responds by sending blood and nutrients to the tissues around and near the injury. Although there is often redness, pain and swelling for a time, the injury eventually heals and the signs of inflammation disappear. (continue reading…)
Posted under Eye Conditions
Dr. Michael A. Samuel, the author of Macular Degeneration: A Complete Guide for Patients and Their Families, writes, “Modern research into macular degeneration has found that inflammation plays a clear role in the development of the dry form of this disease.” Dr. Andrew Weil, the author of Healthy Aging believes that inflammation is the common root of many chronic diseases. (continue reading…)
Posted under Eye Conditions
My husband’s father has wet age related macular degeneration (AMD). Several of his father’s brothers and sisters also had AMD. If you have a parent or sibling with macular degeneration, you may be wondering, does that mean you will develop it too? Although we can’t say for sure that living with macular degeneration is in your future, the chances that you will develop it are much higher than it is for those without family members with AMD. The lifetime risk of developing late-stage macular degeneration is 50% for people who have a relative with macular degeneration vs 12% for people who’s relatives do not have macular degeneration (4x the risk). (continue reading…)
Posted under Eye Conditions
Once someone has been diagnosed with age related macular degeneration (AMD) or any disease for that matter, the mind starts asking questions like, how did I get this condition, what caused it or perhaps, could I have done something to prevent it?
Posted under Eye Conditions
In the early stages of age related macular degeneration (AMD) a person may not notice any symptoms or the eye symptoms that they do have, such as needing more light, may be attributed to the normal aging process. Another factor that may mask symptoms is when only one eye is affected. The good eye compensates for the affected eye and vision changes are then less noticeable.
Macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss in the senior population. Being aware of the common signs and symptoms may help you get diagnosed earlier or perhaps lead to a better understanding of the type of vision loss your loved one or friend is experiencing.
Some of the signs of macular degeneration are:
1. Difficulty reading in low light
The person finds that reading with a normal light is difficult, but with a well placed swing arm lamp that offers task lighting their vision is improved.
2. Difficulty driving at night
The person may have a hard time seeing a black car or person dressed in dark colors at night. Headlights from
oncoming cars produce a bright glare or halo that makes it more difficult to see and drive.
3. Difficulty determining shades of colors
The person has a hard time distinguishing light gray from dark gray or a dark blue pair of pants from their black pants.
4. Difficulty focusing or experiencing blurred vision
The words in a book or magazine are not as sharp and clear. Watching TV or a movie, one finds that the picture is
not as clear or crisp.
5. Difficulty recognizing faces
A smudge or dark spot appears in the middle of one’s vision. The macula is a tiny spot in the middle of the retina that is responsible for the middle of our vision. This is where the photoreceptor cells are dying, hence the name macular degeneration.
6. Increased sensitivity to glare
The person is more sensitive to glare when in the sunshine or from fluorescent lighting.
7. Colors are less vivid
Colors appear somewhat faded. Reds are not as red and blues are not as blue.
8. Straight Lines appear wavy
A fence or telephone pole looks crooked or bent rather than straight.
As you can tell macular degeneration affects one’s vision in many different ways. It does not result in blindness but rather a loss of vision – especially the middle of one’s vision. Peripheral vision is not affected. Getting regular eye exams is important. The eye doctor may notice early signs of changes in your retina before a person may notice any of the above symptoms.
To learn more about the cause of macular degeneration go to:
Leslie Degner, RN, BSN
Leslie Degner is a registered nurse with over 20 years or RN experience. Her father-in-law and several of his siblings have wet macular degeneration. As a daughter-in-law to someone who is struggling with AMD and a wife to someone with an extensive family history, her goal is to help others learn more about macular degeneration prevention, treatment, research and resources.
Posted under Eye Conditions
When testing your vision with the Amsler Grid, if there are any holes or blurry spots, or if the lines appear to be wavy, fuzzy, crooked, distorted or broken, you should contact your eye care provider immediately, these are potential signs of AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration). The Amsler Grid is not a substitute for regularly scheduled eye exams/tests, which should take place at least once every two years. 
