Macular Degeneration

Macular Degeneration (ARMD-Aged Related Macular Degeneration) is the slow deterioration of the cells in the macula, a tiny yellowish area near the center of the retina where vision is the most precise. This deterioration therefore affects your central vision, the very vision you use for reading, writing, driving and recognizing faces. ARMD causes the loss of central vision. Your peripheral vision is not affected.

There are two types of macular degeneration: Ninety percent of people with macular degeneration have the dry type, in which small, yellow spots called drusens form underneath the macular. Drusens are believed to be waste products that accumulate because of lack of antioxidants to clear the waste from the eyes The drusen slowly break down the cells in the macular, causing distorted vision. Dry macular degeneration can progress to the second, more severe type, called wet macular degeneration.

• Free radicals damage from ultraviolet and blue light from sunlight passing through the crystalline lens. Free radicals are also natural byproducts of metabolism. These highly reactive chemicals cause oxidation, and can destabilize healthy cells in the back of the eyes. Free radical damage is accelerated by smoking, chronic fatigue and compromised immune systems.
• Nutritional Deficiencies and poor digestion - Often sufferers of macular degeneration are deficient in some or many of the important nutrients including essential fatty acids, lutein, zeaxanthin, taurine, antioxidants, bioflavenoids, zinc, selenium, vitamin B-complex.
• Heredity

Individuals at risk for macular degeneration include:

• Women
• Smokers - increase their risk by 200-300 percent
• Adult diabetics
• People with uncontrolled high blood pressure
• Those lacking sufficient ability to absorb nutrients through their digestive tracts
• Those with a family history of macular degeneration

Drugs that can damage the retina:

At the present, there is no effective treatment. Some causes of macular degeneration are treated with laser surgery, but the treatment itself may not effectively seal up a leaky blood vessel without at the same time permanently destroying retinal nerve fibers that pass through the area. According to the National Eye Institute, laser treatment can actually worsen vision, and any ability to slow the progression of disease does not appear until at least a year after surgery.

Photodynamic Therapy (PVT) is used now to help seal leaky blood vessels in the retina. This procedure is generally much less damaging than traditional laser treatments in its ability to target abnormal blood vessels, and avoid damaging retinal cells.

Doctors are now using injectable antiangiogenesis drug into the retina for wet macular degeneration. These drugs help prevent the body from growing new blood vessels in the retina which are the ones that leak. Macugen is one of the more common drugs being injected, though Lucentis and Avastin are considered more effective treatment strategies. The best results so far have been in studies using a combination of Lucentis and PVT to help stabilize wet macular degeneration.

Drugs can have potential serious side effects, so the benefits of going on these therapies have to be evaluated with your eye doctor and family.