Macular Degeneration (MD)

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.

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.

How does the progression of optic nerve and RGC damage translate to the clinical symptoms of glaucoma? In a study published by Harwerth and Quigley in 2006, the structure-function relationships of human glaucoma and experimental glaucoma in monkeys are compared, in order to discern a possible correlation between the progressive loss of visual field experienced by glaucoma patients and the gradual neural losses. Previous studies had suggested a large amount of variance between the well-defined relationship of experimental glaucoma and the slightly different system of clinical glaucoma, but the discrepancies could have equally resulted from different methods of data analysis, which would affect the precision of the results. The study compared

Glaucoma can occur without much warning, whether its acute from a accident in which a trauma is issued on the eye, or if it is due to age and heredity. Glaucoma doesn 't discriminate, it is seen in all races and genders. It happens so slowly with age and heredity that you don 't even notice the loss of vision until it is too late, and with acute glaucoma it can be painful with pain that radiates over the face, a headache, nausea, vomiting and seeing colored halos around lights and even blurred vision can be a few symptoms (Ignatavicius & Workman, 2013). Once you start seeing halos, and lose peripheral vision, it may be an indicator that irreversible damage to the optic nerve has happened. In this paper we will discuss the pathophysiology of glaucoma, the types of glaucoma as well as the causes for them. the issues that glaucoma can cause someone, and the treatments and interventions. We will also have a education handout to help better understand how to administer the medication, and the effects it has on the eye.

Eyes are considered one of, or the most important of the five senses and one that is taken with huge appreciation, but many are unaware of the certain risk factors that are performed daily which can influence the quality of vision in the long term. According to the According to the Centers for disease control and prevention (2013) in the United States, the most common eye disorders are age related and can lead to reduction in vision or complete blindness; they include: age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Smoking is commonly known to cause certain cancers and heart diseases, but not commonly associated with its effect on the visual system and its link to the development of these common conditions. According to Rennie et al. (2012) ‘forty-seven percent knew of the link between smoking and eye disease’. To try and promote the influence cigarettes have on the visual system, the Royal national institute for blind people (2011) has suggested including pictures and a helpline number on each cigarette packet to deter the smokers. Moreover, one of the many side effects of smoking is that it raises blood pressure. Therefore, alongside recommendations to refrain from smoking to prevent an increase in pressure, there are certain nutrients that are known to decrease blood pressure. These can prove to be a very effective treatment for ocular diseases linked to diabetes such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Despite the harmful effects of

Age related Macular Degeneration or AMD is a disease that affects millions of Americans every year. There are several factors that contribute to this disease, those being: exposure to bright light, diet, hereditary factors and gender. The main ones that can be controlled consist of exposure to bright light and diet. Those that cannot be controlled are hereditary factors and gender. Prevention of macular degeneration consists of reducing the eyes exposure to bright light and the daily diet of the person at risk. What I seek to explore is if adopting to the Mediterranean diet will create the needed health benefit to prevent the onset of AMD. The Mediterranean diet is one which focuses on eating seafood, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and healthy fats from things such as olive

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by increased intraocular pressure, resulting in atrophy of the optic nerve. (Venes, D. 2013) This disease is known to gradually cause the loss of peripheral vision which can eventually lead to total blindness. Glaucoma is the third most prevalent cause of visual impairment and blindness in the U.S, although the incidence of blindness is decreasing due to early detection and treatment. (Venes, D. 2013) Glaucoma comes in two major categories: closed-angle glaucoma, and open-angle glaucoma. (Holistic Nursing Practice, Vol. 24)

Retinitis pigmentosa(RP) is an inherited, degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment due to the progressive degeneration of the rod photoreceptor cells in the retina . Retinitis pigmentosa is one of the most common inherited diseases of the retina, affecting 1.5 million people worldwide. Up to 150 mutations are known to cause retinitis pigmentosa, which includes three genetic inheritance patterns- autosomal dominant inheritance, autosomal recessive inheritance, or X-linked inheritance. Symptoms often first appear in childhood that patients would endure nyctalopia, the decreasing vision at night or in low light, then lost of peripheral vision causing “tunnel vision” and finally,

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of sight loss in the United Kingdom. It is usually age related, occurring in 1 in 10 people over 65. In macular degeneration, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) at the back of the macula in the eye, which supports the rod and cone cells vital to central vision, stops functioning. This results in the death of rod and cone cells, resulting in the loss of central vision. There are two types of macular degeneration: wet, and dry. Dry macular degeneration is the most common type and typically causes central vision loss over several months or years. Wet macular degeneration is rare, causing central vision loss in several days or weeks.

Glaucomas are a group of diseases leading to optic nerve damages and visual field losses. After cataract, glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness worldwide. After 40 years old, the risk of being diagnosed with glaucoma is consequently increased; 80 million people are estimated to be diagnosed with glaucoma in 2020 [14].

They have gathered information from several databases of patients diagnosed with glaucoma and have evidence of visual field loss consistent with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma or evidence blindness caused by Glaucoma to help put together some answers on how much people with this diagnosis are affected. They show some important facts about the diagnosis of how many people that are diagnosed with Glaucoma lose vision quickly if not care or treated by an

Thus, the knowledge of normal macular thickness and its distribution is essential for assessing macular thickening in various ocular pathologies.

Loss of cone photoreceptors, which support daytime vision and visual acuity, leads to blindness in those with the disease retinitis pigmentosa. It is thought that cone loss occurs as a secondary event resulting from degeneration of rod photoreceptors. In the experiment, scientist use adeno-associated cirus (AAV)-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 delivery to postmitotic photoreceptors to target the Nrl gene which code for Neural retina-specific leucine zipper protein which is integral in determining the fate of the rods during photoreceptor development. When the Nrl gene is disrupted, the rods have a higher survival rate which prevents secondary cone degeneration. This treatment was tested on three different mouse models of retinal