Macular Degeneration: Symptoms and Treatment

Macular degeneration affects people over 50 years, producing lesions in the retina and cause vision problems. It is important to minimize the risk factors and diagnose it in time to administer proper treatment.

Macular degeneration: what it is and why it occurs

Macular degeneration is a disease associated with aging, which is caused by the appearance of lesions in the center of the retina, which can cause severe vision problems in patients.

Who is affected by macular degeneration

Macular degeneration affects, by definition, people over 50 years, being more frequent as higher age.Moreover, the main risk factors for macular degeneration include, among others: smoking, light colored eyes, exposure to solar radiation, heritable genetic damage or obese.

Macular Degeneration: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Macular degeneration is a progressive disease. In the early stages produces no symptoms, although obvious changes in the retina, known as drusen. Each type of Druze is a different risk of progression to more advanced stages.

Advanced macular degeneration can be atrophic or exudative. The main difference between them is that the atrophic form progresses slowly while exudative appears abruptly areas with serious vision.In any case, the warning signs are:- See crooked straight lines- Sudden trouble reading with one eye- Occurrence of a dark spot in the central field of vision

Image of atrophic form of macular degeneration:

Pictures of the wet form of macular degeneration:

More effective treatment for macular degeneration

At the moment the only effective treatment in ophthalmology is intended for advanced exudative form of macular degeneration. It involves intraocular or intravitreal injection of biologics.Although medications are very effective, it is necessary to repeat injections frequently and above all, to carry out a strict plan follow-up visits to monitor the activity of the disease.

How to curb the development of macular degeneration

There are currently several drugs in clinical trials to try to stop the development of atrophic form of macular degeneration.Moreover, treatment of the wet form of macular degeneration can, in most cases, stop vision loss and, in many cases, improving visual acuity.In any case, patients with macular degeneration should be protected from solar radiation with sunglasses, quit and, moreover, should take antioxidant supplementation.