Protect Your Central Vision
Your macula is the tiny central part of your retina, responsible for fine detail vision and color perception. The retina’s job is to collect the light that enters your eye, convert that light to electrical impulses and then transmit that information to the brain for translation. The macula controls the central part of your vision. Any damage to this area is called Macular Degeneration and it causes vision disturbance.
Symptoms of Macular Degeneration
The most obvious symptom is a loss or disruption of central vision – but no impact to your peripheral (side) vision. This may include dark areas, straight lines appearing distorted or blurry central vision. In many cases, patients are not aware of macular degeneration occurring in only one eye because the stronger eye often compensates for the weaker eye. However, it may become increasingly difficult to read, see fine details and recognize faces as the disease progresses.
Types of Macular Degeneration
This disease starts as the dry form and can morph into the wet form:
- Dry Macular Degeneration (most common): yellow drusen deposits progressively accumulate under the macula, causing the area to thin and dry out.
- Wet Macular Degeneration: abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula, causing severe, rapid vision loss if they leak blood or fluid.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
Although it is typically an age-related condition (it occurs most often in people over age 50), certain hereditary forms sometimes affect children or teens. Macular degeneration is often referred to as AMD or age-related macular degeneration.
Treatment
There is no cure for macular degeneration, but research suggests that certain antioxidant vitamins and minerals may slow its progress for some patients. Our doctors can prescribe the right combination of vitamins for you. If the disease has advanced to the wet form, they may recommend laser surgery to seal leaking blood vessels and slow the development of the disease. Our team will do everything they can to protect your central vision through macular degeneration treatment in Grand Rapids or Hibbing at Bonner Eye Clinic.
We’d Love to Tell You More About Macular Degeneration
We invite you to schedule an eye exam so we can assess your vision for signs of macular degeneration so early treatment can be administered. During your visit to our practice, you will learn why so many people trust our team to protect their precious eyesight.
