- Macular degeneration is the most common cause of sight impairment over those aged 50 years and affects central vision, thus making daily activities like reading and recognising faces difficult.
- Macular degeneration has 2 types: –
- Dry type – this is slowly progressive and is caused by retinal atrophy or tissue loss. It is essentially a wear and tear change and currently has no treatment.
- Wet type – this is a sudden and severe change due to new blood vessel formation that might leak or bleed into the central part (macula) of the retina. It needs prompt treatment with intraocular injections.
Not all but a proportion of patients having the dry variant might change into the wet type.
- Patients are advised to look out for the following symptoms and seek urgent treatment
- Straight lines are wavy or wobbly
- Peoples faces are distorted or missing
- Blur or patch in central vision.
In the case of above it is advisable to visit an optician or your GP for onward referral.
- The intravitreal injections treatment for the wet variant is generally over a couple of years starting monthly and then at extended intervals.
- Apart from eye injections the holistic approach to treating macular degeneration includes macular health (supplements) , vision monitoring and visual aids with regular follow-ups.