What is macular degeneration?
Macular degeneration is a condition affecting a specific part of the retina, which is the layer of cells lining the inside back of your eye. The cells in the retina are sensitive to light and play an essential role in giving you the ability to see.
The macula is a tiny area of the retina that allows you to see fine details. Macular degeneration affects the macula and makes it harder to see fine details both up close and far away. Your vision declines over time, and the condition is the leading cause of vision loss among people who are 50 and older.
Dr. Yakubov and the team at Elite Eye Care use a tool called an Amsler grid to evaluate your vision with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which helps them identify blind, blurry, or distorted parts of your field of vision. Other helpful diagnostic tests allow them to look directly at your retina and macula.
Which type of macular degeneration do I have?
Dry AMD
Dry AMD accounts for around 80% of macular degeneration cases. As your macula naturally thins over time, proteins in it clump together to form tiny masses called drusen. As this happens, you slowly lose the clarity of your central vision.
Wet AMD
Wet AMD is far less common and more dangerous than dry AMD. It’s the result of many tiny blood vessels developing under the retina, then leaking and damaging the macula. Vision decline with wet AMD happens much faster than with dry AMD. :
How is macular degeneration treated?
Elite Eye Care offers treatment for macular degeneration that works to preserve the vision you still have. While neither type of macular degeneration is curable, various evidence-based therapies and medications can slow down their progression.
Some treatments for macular degeneration that Dr. Yakubov and the team might recommend to you are:
Vitamins and
supplements for dry AMD
- Vitamins and
supplements for dry AMD
- Anti-vascular
endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs for wet AMD
- Photodynamic
therapy for wet AMD
- Laser photocoagulation for wet AMD
The Elite Eye Care team also encourages you to visit regularly so they can evaluate your vision and make changes to your treatment if you need them.
Find out more about treatments for wet and dry age-related macular degeneration by calling Elite Eye Care or booking an appointment online today.