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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Diabetes / February 2008All About Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration is an eye disease that is often age related. Not much is known about the causes of this disease. How it effects the eye is known. Risk factors have also been determined. Although many treatments are in the early stages there are some treatments that have helped people. Studies and work against the effects of macular degeneration continue. Macular degeneration is a deterioration of the macula. The macula is at the center of the retina. The retina is the part of the eye that sends visual images to the brain so a person can see. This damage to the macula results in blind spots, blurry or distorted vision. This disease is one of the major visual disease in the United States. There is not a lot known about macular degeneration. What is known, however is that it is closely linked with aging. There has also been a link found between the disease and a gene variant called complement factor H or CFH. Macular degeneration has two forms: dry or wet. Dry or non-nonvascular macular degeneration is the most common and occurs in 85% to 90% of diagnosis. Wet or nonvascular macular degeneration is a rarer form that results in the worst vision impairments. It is thought that the dry form is caused by thinning of the tissue in the macula. The wet form may be caused by leakage of blood and fluid into the retina. Since little is known about what exactly causes macular degeneration it is hard to prevent it, but there are some guidelines that have been developed on risk factors that may contribute to the disease. The following list is of those risk factors. - smoking - age - gender (women are at more of a risk) - family history - high cholesterol - race (Caucasians are at more of a risk) - exposure to ultraviolet light (less is better) These are just factors that have been studied and shown to play a part in increasing the risk of developing the disease. There is no cure for macular degeneration. Many medicines and treatments are still in the beginning stages of being studied. If you carry a high risk the best chance of dealing with the disease is getting regular eye exams. http://cncarrental.cn/html/history/20060924/610.html As a sufferer from this disease and having lost focus in teh macula of my left eye some 10+ years ago, I can report that there are NOW real treatments for the wet version that cna let you continue to see and stop the progressions to central focus blindness. There have been treatments for a while , like steroid shots (into the eyeball ) and PDF, in whch a chemical that is light sensative is injected and then a low level lasar is used on the eye which shrinks the burgoning blood vessels. The current, and best treatment, so far , is the use of either Avastin or a derivative of the Avastin, Lucentis, injected into the eyeball. I currently, get this treatment every 6 weeks and expect to continue this until the blood vessels under the macula sto of their own volition. No one can predict when this will occur. My current vision is 20/50+( read a few letters n the 20/40 line) for distance with correction and 20/20 with 2X magnifier reading lenses for reading at very close distnces. Since I have vision in only the one eye, I have no plans to resume driving. If properly treated this disease is no longer a sentance os blindness. You do, however, need to be vigilant if you notice any change in vision or if you begin to see wvy lines on our venitian blinds or an Amstar Grid. I think you mihght check with graph paperfor a quick and dirty test. You must aso see a specilaist in retinal opthamology. iI am fortunate to have found a super specialist in macculas, etc. I thougt this would be a good counterpoint to this long descriptive and depressing post on the condition of wet macular degeneration. It is a nuisance, and the treatment remains scary, but that is a small price to pay for maintaining your vision. Wendy-Now you understand why I am one of the foundrs of the "eye police" around here that warns newbies to get a fully dilated retinal exam at diagnosis and annually after that. PS you also now understand the many typos in my posts. To correct I have to put my nose practically on the computer screen . >As a sufferer from this disease and having lost focus in teh macula of my >left eye some 10+ years ago, I can report that there are NOW real [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] >PS you also now understand the many typos in my posts. To correct I have >to put my nose practically on the computer screen . G'day G'day Wendy, Thank you for sharing your experience of the treatment for wet macula degeneration. Knowing that treatment is available will help reduce the fear factor for others while encouraging everyone who could be affected to keep those regular appointments to have their eyes scanned. Just recently I had my eyes scanned by a local optician. I was tempted not to keep an appointment with the diabetes service. Glad I kept the appointment. For some reason their scanning instrument had a better resolution and their scans get checked by an opthalmologist in batches each month. OK, things are a bit slow here but it is better than not having them read by a trained opthalmologist. Best wishes,  SignatureQuentin Grady ^ ^ / New Zealand, >#,#< [ / \ /\ "... and the blind dog was leading." http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/quentin "W. Baker" <wbaker@panix.com> a écrit ... > As a sufferer from this disease and having lost focus in teh macula of my > left eye some 10+ years ago, I can report that there are NOW real [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > PS you also now understand the many typos in my posts. To correct I have > to put my nose practically on the computer screen . ((((( Wendy ))))) Having read your post, I will take advantage of my doctors advice to see a specialist to check up on my eyes. I have been wearing spectacles for some 50 years. In alt.support.diabetes on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 06:41:54 +0100 in Msg.# <47b5262a$0$13951$79c14f64@nan-newsreader-05.noos.net>, " Frank t2" <a@b.c> wrote: > Having read your post, I will take advantage of my doctors > advice to see a specialist to check up on my eyes. > > I have been wearing spectacles for some 50 years. Hmm, I've been wearing them almost that long. Although I have to remind myself that I don't wear them anymore in the same sense I did most of my life. SignatureDonnaB shallotpeel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUKDMNZIox0 "That is in the past. And, I happen to be past my past." - Lucy PC 3/98 |
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