Macular Degeneration

• Hereditary age-related deterioration, which occurs in the central part of the retina (the macula), is responsible for our most detailed vision needed for reading or driving.
• Very common cause of reduced vision in the elderly.
• Reduction in central visual acuity is extremely variable, and in fact, most function well with no restrictions in lifestyle.
• A very small minority progress to the most advanced stage of disease where people cannot read or recognize faces ("legal blindness").
• Never results in total blindness; useful peripheral vision is retained and people can still live independently even in the most severe cases.
• Two general categories—ARMD (Age-related macular degeneration)
  • "Dry" or atrophic; loss of vision is usually very gradual and no treatment is possible; most common type by far.
  • "Wet" or exudative: vision loss can be rapid and severe as abnormal blood vessels leak or hemorrhage.
  • Usually preceded by new distortion in central vision and is often treatable at this stage with the laser.
  • Special photography (flourescein angiogram) is often used to determine if exudative disease is treatable.
  • Newer injectable medications have been found to be
  • Daily monitoring of the central vision with the Amsler Grid (shown below)and multivitamin therapy in accordance with the "AREDS" study in important.