Macular Degeneration, How to Prevent Macular Degeneration
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By :
peter hutch
Submitted
2009-01-06 22:58:05 |
The macula is the circular disk in the center of the retina that recognizes fine details in the center of the field of vision. In the less common form of macular degeneration, "wet" macular degeneration, misplaced blood vessels grow behind the retina. These weakened blood vessels tend to leak. In the worst cases, the accumulation of fluids can physically lift the macula from its moorings to create a distorted field of vision
Macular Degeneration is actually an irreversible eye disease. It is caused by the progressive deterioration of the central retina (macula), affecting your central vision. AMD destroys cells in your eyes and once they are damaged, you lose the ability to see details. However, it does not destroy your peripheral vision, nor will your vision go completely black. You will still be able to see light, movement and shapes. There are ways to preserve your eyesight before it gets that bad.
Though there is no permanent cure for Macular Degeneration, some medications may actually assist in halting or slowing down the progress of the disease and loss of vision. While some of these medications are totally experimental, others have been found to be effective and have already been approved by the FDA.
Macular degeneration got its name from the part of the eye that is affected by the disease: the macula. Your macula, which is a part of the retina, is what gives you the ability to sharply focus on objects within your central vision. This type of sharp focus is necessary to do many everyday tasks, like driving, reading, writing and focusing on other people's faces when they are speaking to you.
If you are over the age of fifty then your eyesight may already be affected by an eye disease called Macular degeneration. This disease causes damage to the retina and often results in a loss of vision, usually directly in the center of the visual field. Macular degeneration is age related. There are two forms in which it occurs; in dry and wet forms.
Dry macular degeneration occurs when the RPE or retinal pigment epithelium cells begin to atrophy (deteriorate) and lose their pigment. This deterioration is associated with the formation of small yellow deposits under the macula, known as Drusen. This leads to the contraction and drying out of the macula impairing its main function. Only one eye may be initially affected but in most cases, both eyes eventually become involved.
The new drugs include Macugen from Pfizer/Eyetech, Retaane from Alcon, Kenalog and Lucentis. Macugen (Pegaptanib Sodium) is a new novel drug that targets the body?s destructive signals that cause abnormal blood vessels to grow. This drug works by targeting the protein involved in the growth of abnormal blood vessels.
One of the most common types of macular degeneration is dry AMD, and this accounts for 90% of the total cases. The medical terms for dry AMD are atrophic AMD, geographic atrophy, non-exudative or drusenoid macular degeneration. In dry AMD, yellow-white deposits called drusen accumulate in the retinal pigment epithelium tissue beneath the macula.
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