Macular degeneration is an eye disease that happens when the small central portion of your retina, called the macula, wears down. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of your eye.
According to Dr AK Tandon, – Consultant Ophalmologist, AXIS Hospital & Nanavati Hospital, and Director, Tandon Eye Hospital – it is a common cause of vision loss in people above the age of 50 years. Macular degeneration can affect one or both eyes and in most cases, vision loss happens slowly over time.
“Because the disease happens as you get older, it’s often called age-related macular degeneration. It usually doesn’t cause blindness but might cause severe central vision loss,” Dr Tandon said.
The exact cause of the disease is not known yet but for some people, it may be a natural part of aging. For others, it may be related to genes.
“Smoking, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, obesity, eating lots of saturated fat, being light-skinned, being female, and having a light eye color are also risk factors,” the doctor said.
An eye specialist can diagnose macular degeneration by doing a complete eye exam. There are tests that can pinpoint for how long a person is having macular degeneration.
How can it be diagnosed?
- Routine fundus examination
- Amsler Grid for near vision distortion
- Ocular Coherence Tomography
- FFA in advanced cases
What are the Symptoms?
- Worse or less clear vision. Your vision might be blurry, and it may be hard to read fine print or drive.
- Dark, blurry areas in the center of your
There is no particular cure for the disease but one can save some of his or her vision with lifestyle changes and diet supplements.
According to Dr Tandon, the progression of the disease can be slowed down by taking supplements of vitamins C and E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and copper.
