It’s Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) awareness month! AMD is a disease that affects your central vision. It is the leading cause of vision loss in those over 50.
An example of AMD is when you’re looking at a person’s face, you may not see their eyes or nose, but you can see their hair or ears.
There are two types of AMD, dry and wet.
Dry AMD
- 80% of cases
- Vision slowly changes
- The macula thins and tiny clumps of proteins form
- Ways to slow progression: eat leafy green veggies, NO SMOKING!
Wet AMD
- 20%
- Quicker, more serious changes in vision
- Abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina
- May need injections by a retina specialist
You are more likely to get AMD if you fall into these categories:
- Eating too many saturated fats (foods in meat, butter, cheese)
- Family history of AMD
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Over 50 years old
- Overweight
You can monitor for changes to AMD using an Amsler grid (left picture). There are printouts online, as well as phone apps for tracking. Place this grid where you can see it every day. Look with one eye at a time and stare at the center. Make sure all the lines up and down as well as left and right are straight. Curves can indicate changes (as seen in the right picture).
Your eye is like a camera. There is a lens inside, but the image is formed on the macula, or film of the camera. When it’s damaged, your mind sees a distorted image.
Other types of treatments for dry AMD include Focus vitamins and MacuHealth. Focus Select (AREDS 2) is for those with AMD. MacuHealth is for those without any signs of AMD, but have a family history.
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