What is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)?  What is the treatment for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)?

Age related macular degeneration is a progressive retinal disease of the macula, one’s central vision.  This disease will slowly cause the macula, central vision, to deteriorate or atrophy.  Over time one’s central vision can become significantly reduce to a visual acuity of 20/200 (remember 20/20 is normal vision).  20/200 vision or worse in both eyes is considered legally blind.

ARMD occurs in people 50 years of age or older.  There are two forms of ARMD, wet and dry.  Wet ARMD is considered the more severe form and can progressive quickly.  With the wet form of ARMD there are new blood vessels (neovascularization) in the retina.  There are treatments for wet ARMD however, there is limited success with the outcome.  It is important to be examined by a retinal specialist if one is diagnosed with WET ARMD.  There are many new treatments coming.

 Dry ARMD is more common and typically occurs slowly.  There are limited treatments available for dry ARMD.  It is recommended that one should eat health, take a good vitamin supplement, control any vascular disease like high blood pressure, stop smoking, and routinely use an amsler grid to monitor one’s central vision.  It has been shown in studies that antioxidants are very helpful.  Vitamins C, E, beta carotene, zinc, and copper are often recommended by eye doctors.  There are multivitamins that one can buy over the counter that are specifically for ARMD.  These include all the recommended antioxidants.

Treatment options:

     Sunglasses

     Vitamins, antioxidants

     Eat healthy, green vegetables

     Stop smoking

     Control high blood pressure

     Intra-ocular injections

     Surgery (photodynamic therapy)