Essay On Age Related Macular Degeneration

as the common name implies-- lead to irreversible blindness. Study of the disease has shown that

Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) is one of such currently untreatable causes of blindness. RP, along with Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are amongst the more frequent causes of blindness in the developed world (Greenwald 2009), while RP itself is the leading cause of inherited blindness (Palanker 2004).

Macular Degeneration is a disease of the eye that gradually causes loss of a person’s central vision. Approximately 1.75 million Americans suffer from vision loss associated with the disease (All About Vision 1). The leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60, Macular Degeneration, exists in two types (National Eye Institute 1). Both the wet and dry versions of the disease have similarities in risk factors, but differ in symptoms and treatments.

Age related macular degeneration is a loss of function of the macula, it is more commonly known as AMD. AMD is the most common cause for vision loss in adult s over the age of 55. The macula, located in the central part of the eye, is what is being damaged. This part of the eye is what enables us to see substances that are directly in front of the field of vision.

A medical definition of vision impairment is a sine qua non that prohibits 20/20 vision in one or both eyes (Bowman, Bowman, Dutton & Royal National Institute for the Blind, 2001; Vision Australia, 2015; Webster & Roe, 1998). Examples of vision impairment include, cataracts, which has the lens inside the eye increasingly cloudy; albinism, which is passed down genetically affecting clear vision and causes sensitivity to bright light; optic nerve damage, which affects field of vision as those nerves controlling vision are disrupted; macular degeneration, where parts of the retina that control colour and fine details are affected; retinitis pigmentosa, which is an ongoing reduction of the field of vision available and nystagmus, where the eye flickers involuntary (Bowman, Bowman, Dutton & Royal National Institute for the Blind, 2001; American Foundation for the Blind, 2015; Vision Australia, 2015 ; Baton Rouge Regional Eye Bank, 2015). John suffers from retinitis

The damage caused by glaucoma can't be reversed. But treatment and regular checkups can help slow or prevent vision loss. The goal of glaucoma treatment is to lower pressure in your eye. Depending on your situation, your options may include eye drops, laser treatment or surgery.

The research topic I will be introducing is Age-Related Macular Degeneration. This has been classified as a degenerative disorder that distresses the macula in one’s eye. AMD is unfortunately a common illness that individuals over 65 suffer from and that is a central cause vision loss. AMD doesn’t have a set disease pathway, in some individuals it advances slowly so that loss of vision does not arise for a long time. The disease can also advance much quicker and may lead to lack of vision in either or both eyes. The disease begins a blurry area near the center of one’s vision which grows larger and larger possibly causing a blank space in the eye (Boyd, 2013). Research is being done on AMD because it is a prevalent illness and has extreme consequences.

Cataracts: As people age, proteins can gradually build up on the lens, causing a brownish or yellowish tint to the lens, blocking effective light transfer to the retina. Other things can cause the lens to lose it's clarity, include past eye surgery, injury or damage to the eye and chronic illnesses like diabetes. While more than 50% of Americans will either be living with a cataract or will have had surgery by the time they reach 80 years of age, even adults in their forties and fifties develop cataracts, and some babies are born with cataracts. Symptoms – cloudy vision, trouble driving at night, struggling to find a vision prescription that works well – gradually worsen over time. Surgery is currently the only therapeutic option.

There are two different kinds of macular degeneration. There is a "wet" macular degeneration and a "dry" macular degeneration. More than half of the people with macular degeneration have the dry degeneration. The dry macular degeneration involves deposits of drusen which leads to the damage of the macula. Patients may still have good vision even when having dry macular degeneration. The early symptoms of dry macular degeneration include minimal vision impairment and the disease progresses really slow.

The blood vessels leak their subjects into the macular region can occur at any stage of NPDR as shown in the figure 1.1 which is called as macular edema. Blurred vision and darkened or distorted images that are not the same in both eyes are the symptoms of macular edema. The vision loss related to macular edema, nearly ten percent (10%) of diabetic patients will have their sight loss. Optical Coherence Tomography can show the areas of retinal thickening caused due to fluid accumulation of macular

Patients with age-related macular degeneration may not notice any symptoms at first. The first noticeable sign is a gradual, or sudden, change in the quality of vision depending on which type of AMD is occurring. Straight lines will start to appear distorted (Kozarsky, 2017). Early dry AMD is diagnosed by the presence of drusen. This gradually can cause a dramatic loss of the center of vision. In the intermediate stage of AMD, the beginnings of vision loss are apparent, but there still may not be any other noticeable symptoms. At this time, optometrists will test for larger drusen and pigment changes in the retina (“Research into the Genetics of Macular Degeneration,” 2017). Other symptoms of age-related macular degeneration might include an

The early and most common form of AMD is called dry (atrophic) or nonneovascular macular degeneration. About 90% of AMD cases are known to be in this form. This form does not involve abnormal blood vessels and or leaking of fluid. Vision impairments are still great and potential of complete vision loss is still possible. People affected by dry AMD experience central vision impairments, limited area of central vision, and limited vision when in areas of reduced light. Dry AMD is thought to be the result of the retina breaking down because of the formation of deposits, known as drusen, under the macula. The macula is a small area within the retina that is responsible for central vision. It’s believed that these deposits interfere with vitamin transport, oxygen transport, and waste removal in the aged eye directly affecting the macula causing it to thin and dry out, losing its function. Depending on how severe this thinning and degeneration of the retina is, vision impairments will vary. Macular degeneration in its early stages is associated with minimal vision impairments, large drusen, and other pigmentary abnormalities in the macula. Drusen are deposits of fatty proteins that accumulate below the basement membrane of the retinal pigment epithelium. People over the age of 50 years have at least one small hard drusen in one or both eyes. People with large, soft drusen are the ones at high risk for AMD. Hard

Wet Macular Degeneration causes more severe loss of vision. Dry Macular Degeneration is the age-related type. There is no proven cure for dry Macular Degeneration.

Glaucoma is a condition that affects the eyes by causing damage to the optic nerve within the eye and it can worsen over time. It’s generally associated with an increase in pressure inside of the eye. More often than not it’s inherited and may not reveal itself until much later in life. The increase in pressure is known as intraocular pressure and can damage the optic nerve that’s responsible for transmitting images to your brain. Sadly, if you fail to recognise that you’re suffering from glaucoma and neglect to have it treated, then the damage to the optic nerve from high pressure can become permanent resulting in permanent vision loss. Without treatment, glaucoma can and will result in total and irreversible blindness within a

Acute glaucoma must be treated early to prevent loss of vision. Treatment usually begins with laser treatment to make a new opening in the iris that allows the angle to open. This is often restores vision, but in some eyes it is necessary to use eyedrops long-term. Surgical treatment