Eye Health And Vision : Macular Degeneration

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

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.

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.

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).

Visual impairment is a state wherein an individual experiences difficulty in seeing or not being able to see anything physical presented to them. According to Mandal, MD (2013) It is a state where a visually impaired person’s eyesight cannot be corrected back to a “normal level”. Visual impairment is often associated with old age. In Europe, an estimated 15.5 million people have visual impairment and in seven countries in Europe, about 50% of blindness is caused by age-related macular degeneration. (Dibb,

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for people 60 years of age and older in the developed world. Vision loss is caused by the destruction of the cone photoreceptors, located in the macula, that are responsible for color/central vision. The underlying cause of AMD is the loss of the monolayer of pigmented epithelial cells located just below the photoreceptors, known as the retinal pigmentum epithelium (RPE). The main role of the RPE is to maintain the function of the photoreceptor layer by secreting nutrients, absorbing stray light, and recycling debris used during the visual cycle. As a person ages the efficiency of the RPE layer is diminished causing a build up of toxic by-products. These toxic build-ups, known as drusens, result in the separation and death of the photoreceptor and RPE layers. AMD is speculated to result from as many as 20 different genetic mutations and as a result there is no known cure for the disease (CITE), but recent advances in stem cell therapy is a hopeful step in the right direction.

List at least three resources you should use to determine the visual and academic ability of a student with a visual impairment.

The study shows that the patients with AMD have decreased function psychologically along with functionally. The data for the research was chosen at random “The participants were divided into two groups: participants diagnosed with AMD, and participants without reported ocular diseases” (Pg 376). The people chosen for this study were over the age of 55 with evidence of AMD. In the study it stated they used the “nine depression items from the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale” (Pg 376) . A patient having AMD had a 36% chance of having depressive symptoms where the controls used in the study had a 30% chance of having depressive symptoms (Pg 377). It is also shown that over half of the people with AMD have depressive symptoms. It is believed that these people have depressive symptoms due to having a decreased quality of life. Lastly, it is shown that people with AMD do not compare to people of similar age when it comes to socializing and functioning.

For the health condition description of age-related macular degeneration I will discuss the etiology, onset, prevalence rate, body systems, body structures, and associated deficits that come and are associated with this disease. “AMD is the degradation of the cells at the center of the retina which is the layer of tissue at the back of the eye that registers light. The macula is responsible for ventral vision, which enables us to read, drive, participate in sports, and do anything else that requires focusing directly ahead. Macular degeneration distorts the heart of the vision field” (Macular degeneration, 1998). Sunlight and smoking are both influences of the onset of AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), 2014). It is suggested to avoid intense bright sunlight which may help reduce the retinal degeneration. Hats, sunglasses and any other accessories that can help protect the eyes from the sun are suggested. Cigarette smoking has also been linked to increasing the risk of developing AMD and it is recommended that persons should stop smoking to decrease their chance of developing AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), 2014). AMD does not develop until the sixth or seventh decade of life, although early

As humans, we don't always see with our eyes, but often with our imagination (Grunwald, 2016). Often times as people we never realize how useful our vision really is to us. You really don't think about something like that until it would actual happen to you. Throughout this essay, you will learn how the body is affected by Macular Degeneration (MD). Different signs and symptoms, as well as the etiology of MD, will be discussed. In the following, diagnosis tests and treatments may also be listed in order to help others who would like to know more about MD. Not to mention, you will learn the incidence and progression of MD. Furthermore, information though agencies and associations, as well as new research about MD will be given.

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by degeneration of retinal ganglion cells, cupping of the optic nerve heads and visual field defects often related to elevated intraocular pressure. Glaucoma affects 70 million people worldwide, and constitutes the second largest cause of bilateral blindness in the world [1]. Primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease. Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to contribute to the pathophysiology of the disease. Glaucoma is a complex clinical trait and its inheritance has been shown to follow both Mendelian and non-Mendelian models [2].

New stem cell treatment has the potential to restore vision once lost. Researchers have developed a new treatment that prevents irreversible vision loss brought on by end-stage retinal disease. The new technique involves the use of stem cells that are grown in a lab. During trails, scientist's were able to grow new retina tissue and then transplant the tissue into the mice who had end-stage retinal degeneration. During the study skin cells are taken from an adult mouse and converted with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). During this experiment, researchers from RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Japan used iPSCs since they can act like embryonic stem cells. Coupled with a shuttle avoidance test researchers determined whether the

     Macular Degeneration is a problem in the part of the eye that controls your sharpest central vision. It is a group of diseases that result in a loss of detailed vision. The brain will not just leave the spot empty, so it learns to fill it in with spotty macular cell damage. People most of the time don't tell their doctors (opthalmologists) about it until it is well in advance.

A research conducted at the University's Center for Chemical Genomics points to a chemical that can reverse cataracts, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. The molecule (compound 29) belongs to the chemical family of sterols and the research was published in the November 5 edition of Science. It is to be noted that cataracts are one of the leading cause of blindness in the world, affecting several thousands of people.

85% of the AMD cases are classified as the dry from, yet wet AMD accounts for 90% of the total cases of legal blindness in AMD. In wet AMD, abnormal neovascular tissue, which was originated from the choriocapillaris, grow underneath the RPE monolayer or into the subretinal space. The newly immature blood vessels can leak fluid into the retina and cause degeneration of the RPE and retinal cells. If left untreated, the degenerated area will continue to enlarge. The end stage of wet AMD is marked by the formation of fibrotic disciform scars on the fovea, which will lead to a permanent central vision loss [3]. Identification of RPE-derived fibrotic cells in surgically excised fibrotic disciform scars from wet AMD patients[4] suggests that RPE cells undergo proliferation and an epithelium-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) as a part of the wound healing response. Currently the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy can ameliorate the condition; however, this treatment can not prevent the formation of scar tissues and can not restore the loss of RPE