What is macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration is a breakdown of the macula. A small area in the retina at the back of the eye, the macula allows you to see fine details clearly and perform activities such as reading and driving. When the macula isn't working well, your central vision can be affected by blurriness, dark areas or distortion. This disease changes your ability to see near and far, and it can make some activities — like threading a needle or reading — difficult or impossible.

What causes macular degeneration?
We don't yet know why macular degeneration occurs. Many older people develop the disease as part of the body's natural aging process. It is the leading cause of severe vision loss in Caucasians over age 65.

The two common types of macular degeneration are dry and wet. The dry form accounts for 90% of cases and is caused by aging and thinning of the tissues of the macula. It develops slowly and usually causes mild vision loss. People often notice a dimming of vision when they read.

Wet macular degeneration is a much greater threat to vision loss even though it accounts for only 10% of cases. With the wet form of the disease, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina where they leak fluid and blood and can create a large blind spot in the center of your visual field. If this happens, there will be a marked disturbance of vision.

How do I know if I have it?
Macular degeneration can cause different symptoms in different people, and may be hardly noticeable in its early stages. Sometimes only one eye loses vision, while the other continues to see well for many years. But when both eyes are affected, the loss of central vision may be noticed more quickly.

Although macular degeneration is more common in people over 60, it is possible to develop symptoms in your 40s or 50s. The condition often runs in families. Symptoms can include:

• Blurry or fuzzy vision
• Straight lines, such as sentences on a page, telephone poles, and sides of buildings, appear wavy
• A dark or empty area appears in the center of vision

Your eye doctor can detect early stages of macular degeneration during a medical eye exam.

How is macular degeneration treated?
At this time, macular degeneration is not curable. The goal is to help the patient see better and to stabilize the condition.

There is no proven treatment for dry macular degeneration. However, recent studies indicate that antioxidants or zinc supplements may reduce the disease's impact in some people. Outpatient laser surgery may be an option for people with more severe wet macular degeneration. The laser beam is used to destroy the abnormal blood vessels and works best when these vessels have not grown under the macula.

Even though people who have it experience mild to severe vision loss, macular degeneration does not affect peripheral, or side vision. One does not go blind. With the help of low vision aids, people can continue to enjoy many of their favorite activities and can still lead normal, independent lives.

Consult an Eye Care Associates doctor
To learn more about your risk of developing macular degeneration — or how to manage it — make an appointment with an experienced eye doctor at Eye Care Associates of Greater Cincinnati.