The Effects Of Age Related Macular Degeneration Essay

As vital organ of vision, the eye, allows us to learn more about the world around us more than any other organ or senses. Sight, the physical sensory experience and vision, the metaphysical concept of how our brain interprets images both work harmoniously and play a huge role in our everyday lives. However, almost a billion people are either blind or visually impaired simply due to not having a pair of glasses. Being able to lead people in the direction of good vision is what developed my interests.

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 is a group of inheritable diseases that is characterized by gradual deterioration of the photoreceptors in the retina. The photoreceptor cells in the retina, rod cells, are light sensitive cells that are able to sense low levels of light. The frequency of retinitis pigmentosa is one in four thousand births (Deng et al., 2015; Fahim et al., 2012; Haddad et al., 2016; Shu et al., 2012) People affected by retinitis pigmentosa will typically exhibit symptoms of night-blindness first, and this will precede a loss in the patient’s visual acuity field that starts from the outer edge and gradually moves inward resulting in a much smaller visual field and loss of peripheral vision, also known as tunnel vision (Haddad et al., 2016).

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).

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.

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

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.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects the retina of the eye. The retina is a layer in the back of the eye that helps us to see. It is also the lining of the eye that helps us respond to light. However, when having macular degeneration there are major changes in a person's central vision. The disease causes central images to appear blurred and then dark spots may begin to appear that get larger and larger. It may also be very hard to see straight lines as Macular Degeneration may cause them to be curved. When having this disease color may appear to be darker and less vivid than normal.

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.

The development of the human body is an exquisite process that involves numerous complicated processes for even the smallest of body parts, including the eyes. The eyes are an extraordinarily complex organ capable of gathering information through refracted light and sending it the brain to assemble a picture. They provide the ability to see and follow a moving object and the capability to tell an approximate distance of an object. When light passes through the cornea and iris pupil, at the anterior portion of the eye, it is focused by the lens onto the retina at the back of the eye. Photoreceptor cells, which are present in the retina, detect the light and send information to interneurons which begin to sort out the information. This information is then sent to ganglion cells which transmits the final information to the brain (Sowden 199). Because the eyes have such complicated and exquisite processes, the likelihood of developmental errors occurring are possible. A large number of these developmental errors lead to congenital defects and abnormalities that effect the individual’s eye sight. Some of these defects and abnormalities can cause serious diseases and syndromes that effect more than just the eyes, but also neurological processes, facial dimorphisms, growth failure, tracheal development, and genitalia anomalies.

The effect of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid intake (LCPUFA) on neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV AMD) and central geographic atrophy (CGA) over a 12 year intake was studied through a prospective cohort study. The cohort was from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), which is a large phase 3 clinical trial that has tested nutrient and vitamin supplement formulations as prevention methods for AMD. Categories of AMD and risk of progression were determined by the size and extent of drusen and abnormalities of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in each eye, the evaluation of stereoscopic photographs, and visual acuity (SanGiovanni et al., 2009). AREDS supported that individuals with the highest intake of

The first disease I’m going to mention is Glaucoma, according to Web MD last updated in 2015, Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your eye's optic nerve and gets worse over time. It's often associated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.

Central vision loss, primarily brought about by age-related macular degeneration, is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the developed world (Bunce and Wormald, 2006). The vast majority of individuals with central vision loss develop a preferred retinal locus (PRL), a specific region of the peripheral visual field that they use to perform everyday tasks such as reading. However, peripheral vision is limited in a number of ways in comparison to foveal vision. For example, in people with normal vision, reading speed, contrast sensitivity and visual acuity are worse in the periphery compared to the fovea. Additionally, peripheral vision is limited by visual crowding, which describes the increased

     Basically what my research is stating is that there is a major genetic component that contributes to this disease. There are three general types of hereditary Macular Degeneration. The first is called early onset. This is when you get it when you are four years of age up to seven. In this type both parents and their children can be affected. This means it is dominantly inherited. Most of the time this is called Best Disease or Viteliform Macular Degeneration.