What is macular degeneration?
When the center, or macula, of your retina, becomes damaged and is unable to function properly, the result is macular degeneration. This is a natural part of aging. However, the disease can progress slowly or rapidly. But the process can be accelerated by:
- Hazards in the environment
- Obesity
- Smoking cigarettes
There are two types of macular degeneration:
Dry macular degeneration is by far the more common of the two.
What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?
You may experience one or many symptoms of macular degeneration. The symptoms and severity will depend on how much your retina has deteriorated. Common symptoms include:
- One or both eyes experiencing reduced vision
- Blurriness
- Less intense colors
- Colors that are less bright
- Facial features that become unrecognizable
For wet macular degeneration, one or all of these symptoms can occur rapidly. But, often, the symptoms are gradual. You may not even notice their development, at first.
What are the causes of macular degeneration?
Currently, it’s unknown what causes dry macular degeneration. But it may be linked to:
- Environmental factors
- Smoking
- Hereditary conditions
For wet macular degeneration, the cause is also unknown. However, people who’ve developed dry macular degeneration may develop the wet form afterward — 10% of dry macular degeneration patients develop wet macular degeneration.
How can I know if I have macular degeneration?
Symptoms of macular degeneration often go undetected by sufferers until the disorder has progressed to the point of causing vision impairment. As with many eye conditions, early diagnosis requires a comprehensive examination from an experienced ophthalmologist like Dr. Shah. He has the equipment and expertise to look into the back of your eye and see if you have any accumulation of fluid or blood, a key sign of macular degeneration development.
Depending on the response and results, he may conduct additional testing and/or refer you to a retinal specialist.
