Understanding Macular Degeneration

The macula area of the retina is located at the center of the inner lining of the eye. Macular degeneration is an eye disorder occurring mainly amongst the elderly. During this condition, the macula area may thin, become atrophic or at times bleed. Since macula is that part of the eye which lets us see fine details, any macular degeneration can eventually lead to vision loss. When this happens, we are unable to read or recognize faces. Macular degeneration is also referred to as age related macular degeneration (AMD or AMRD). According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in america today for those over the age of fifty years. Archives of Ophthalmology in 2004 estimated that 1.75 million Americans suffer from symptoms associated with the diseases which will grow to nearly 3 million by 2020.

There may not be any pain caused by macular degeneration, but it kills the cells in the macula area. While in some people the disease process is so slow that they hardly notice its progress or any changing pattern in the way they see, in others it advances rapidly and cause blindness of both the eyes. Treatment available for macular degeneration can slow down the process of blindness, but unfortunately it can bring back lost vision.

There can be two types of macular degeneration - dry and wet. The dry type is more commonly seen than the wet form. In fact, 85 to 90% of people diagnosed with the disease suffer from the dry form. The wet form of AMD is caused when new blood vessels develop in the macula area, resulting in serious forms of loss of vision. Appearances of yellow spots in the retina are the early signs of dry macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration is manifested through a gradual and very rarely a painless loss of vision. Seeing shadowy areas or experiencing fuzzy and distorted vision are some of the early signs and symptoms of the disease. An experienced eye doctor can detect these early signs before symptoms occur, through a retinal examination. A fluorescein angiography is usually recommended by the eye doctor if he or she notices any defect in your vision such as distortion or blurred vision.

Though macular degeneration primarily affects older people, its prevalence is more common in whites and women in particular. Among the many risk factors for developing macular degeneration, deficiency of a gene variant known as complement factor H (CFH) has been found to be linked to nearly half of all the blindness that results from macular degeneration. It is also probable that another gene variant, complement factor B could also be associated with AMD. It was studied at the Columbia University Medical Center where it was found that one of both these genes play a critical role in the immune responses of the body of the people affected with AMD. Other risk factors include aging, smoking, hypertension, obesity and sedentary lifestyle, hereditary factors and side effects of some drugs.