Project Description
While macular degeneration is a common cause of vision loss, early detection and timely treatment can help delay its progression and preserve your vision. Vision that is lost due to macular degeneration can significantly impact a person’s lifestyle, so prevention is an important part of treating this condition.
You can play a part by leading the healthiest lifestyle possible. Quit smoking, control your blood pressure, watch your weight and exercise. Studies have shown that nutrition matter as well, and that taking a prescribed combination of natural eye supplements can slow the development of this condition. However, nutritional supplements may only work in certain situations and are not guaranteed to help.
Macular Degeneration Treatment
During the early stages of treatment, your eye care professional may write a new prescription for your eyeglasses, and ask you to schedule regular eye exams. You may also be asked to use an at-home eye test, called an Amsler grid, to monitor for changes in your vision.
Although dry AMD is far more common than wet AMD, wet AMD requires timely diagnosis and aggressive treatment. Some patients are good candidates for medications that are injected directly into the eye, which are call intravitreal injections. Although intravireal injections are able to maintain visual acuity in most patients and improve vision in a significant number of patients, injections must be administered as frequently as every month to attain the best results.
Another treatment option for wet AMD cna involve focusing an intense beam of laser light onto the retina, which can seal leaking blood vessels, or even eliminate them.
Should permanent vision loss occur, specialized glasses and low vision equipment such as magnifiers and bright lights may help. Your doctor will discuss which treatment options may be best for you.
