The Road to Recovery: A Guide to Macular Degeneration Treatment
Macular degeneration is also known as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). It is a disease of the eye that can blur your central vision.
It happens when aging damages the macula which results in blurry vision.
The Macula is light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It controls the sharp light that enters the eye.
AMD is a common disease that may lead to vision loss in older people.
However, macular degeneration treatment is possible under proper clinical supervision.
Scroll down and check out the suitable treatment options. Yet, check with your doctor to know about the possible interaction.
Diagnosis
When you see your eye doctor for a routine exam, they do a dilated test.
Your doctor might also examine for age-related macular degeneration treatment.
An early diagnosis can help you start your treatment and thereby make the symptoms less severe.
Tests
Your doctor will check for AMD by examining your retina and testing your vision.
The retina is a thin layer of tissue present at the back of your eye that processes light.
The tests will look for tiny yellow deposits called drusen under the retina. This is an early sign of the disease.
You might also be asked to look at an Amsler grid, a sequence of straight lines like a checkerboard.
If some lines are missing or appear wavy, it could be an early sign of macular degeneration.
If your healthcare provider thinks you have age-related macular degeneration, they might want you treat either one or both eyes.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Optical coherence tomography is a special photograph that shows a magnified 3D image of your retina.
Doctors take the help of this method to witness if your retinal layers are distorted.
If doctors treat macular degeneration using lasers or injections, they can determine the condition of the swelling.
Fluorescein angiography
In this procedure, your healthcare provider will inject a dye into your arm vein.
They will closely monitor as the dye reaches your eye and take continuous pictures as it flows through the retina’s blood vessels.
The images will reveal the vessels that are leaking blood or fluid in the macula.
Treatment
At present, there is no cure for macular degeneration.
However, macular degeneration treatment might slow down the disease and keep you from losing vision.
Macular degeneration is classified into two categories: wet and dry macular degeneration.
Dry macular degeneration is the most common type and occurs when the macula gets thinner as you age.
Macula is present in the retina, which helps you have clear straight vision.
This condition can then advance into wet macular degeneration when the blood vessels grow under your retina and rupture.
Some available treatment options are as follows,
Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS)
AREDS is a National eye institute study that shows benefits in the intermediate- or late-stage of AMD if you are into a nutritional supplement.
The study even concluded that certain combinations of high-dose minerals and vitamins slow down both wet and dry age-related macular degeneration.
This can also help you keep your vision longer.
The researchers even updated their study and combined common antioxidants, zinc, copper, and vitamins E and C.
These nutrients are in much higher doses than in a regular diet or multivitamins.
Anti-angiogenic drugs
If you suffer from wet AMD, your healthcare provider will inject specific anti-angiogenic medications like Bevacizumab (Avastin) into your eye.
These medicines stop the new blood vessels from forming and stop the abnormal vessels from leaking.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF)
Vascular endothelial growth factor is the protein that forms new blood vessels in the macula.
These inhibitors reduce leakage from blood vessels, improve vision, decrease retina swelling, and prevent their growth in wet AMD.
Drugs in this category include,
- Aflibercept (Eylea)
- Bevacizumab (Avastin)
- Ranibizumab (Lucentis)
Inhibition of Angiopoietin -2 (Ang-2) helps stabilize the fragile new blood vessels and restrict them from leakage.
Ang-2 is another form of a protein involved in blood vessel formation.
It also enhances the effectiveness of the vessels by making them less sensitive to the effects of VEGF.
Faricimab (Vabysmo) is the most commonly known VEGF/Ang-2 inhibitor.
People who undergo these drugs have regained vision loss due to AMD.
If required, your doctor might ask you for follow-up visits for macular degeneration treatment.
Photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy is a two-step wet macular degeneration treatment that uses a light-sensitive drug to damage your abnormal blood vessels.
Here, in this case, the doctor will inject medication into your bloodstream.
This will help the abnormal blood vessels present in the eye absorb the medicine.
Then your doctor will activate the drug by shining a laser into your eye.
This will eventually lead to the formation of blood clots in the abnormal blood vessels, thereby preventing leakage.
Laser therapy
Your doctor might suggest treatment with high-energy laser light.
Laser therapy can either seal or destroy actively growing abnormal blood vessels.
Doctors can eliminate the abnormal blood vessels and help you treat macular degeneration.
Low vision aids
Your doctor will get you devices with electronic systems or special lenses that enlarge images of nearby objects.
These can include electronic glasses, reading magnifiers, glasses with binoculars, eyeglasses with special lenses, etc.
When should you call your healthcare provider?
You should immediately call your doctor if you are experiencing the early signs of macular degeneration, including,
- Extensive eye pressure
- Eye floaters or flashers
- Painful eye inflammation
- Sensitivity to light (Photophobia)
Prevention
Here are a few ways to prevent age-related macular degeneration.
Quit smoking
The rule is simple, stop smoking as it might double your risk of developing AMD.
This habit exposes you to dangerously unstable molecules and free radicals.
These components can keep nutrients from reaching the retina and cause cellular damage.
The sooner you can quit, the better.
Know your family history
A person is substantially more likely to get AMD if a first-degree relative has the condition.
If you are suffering from macular degeneration or have a family history, inform your doctor.
They can suggest the right macular degeneration treatment.
Eat leafy greens
Try loading up your plate with kale, spinach, swiss chard, and other green leafy vegetables.
These green veggies have a lot of antioxidant vitamins that help in preventing cellular damage from free radicals.
Take supplements
If you are deficient in diets, then consider taking multivitamins.
People at risk of advanced AMD should ask their doctor about AREDS, a specialized blend of supplements.
The macular degeneration vitamins are not meant to cure but to reduce the risk of getting the more severe forms of AMD.
Wear sunglasses
Sunglasses offer UV and blue light protection that can cause retinal damage from repeat exposure.
The American Macular Degeneration Foundation recommends wearing a pair with a “UV 400” label.
Maintain healthy blood pressure and weight
Hypertension causes poor blood circulation and can restrict the blood flow to the eyes, thereby contributing to AMD.
Losing weight or even small gains help is a proven way to lower blood pressure, especially if you already have hypertension.
Test yourself with an Amsler grid
Amsler grid is a tool that helps doctors detect vision problems related to macular damage; this can be used at home.
Your doctor will let you know about its usage and benefits.
Keep your Amsler grid in such a place that reminds you to check it daily.
Also Read: There are some foods also you need to avoid; in in-depth detail, you can go through, What Foods Should be Avoided With Macular Degeneration?
Summing Up
People rarely lose their sight from macular degeneration.
You may have poor central vision, but with advanced AMD, you’ll still be able to see things.
However, the condition can return to normal with macular degeneration treatment.
Doctors recommend testing your vision regularly and following the prescription.
The right treatment slows your vision loss and can improve your vision.
Frequently asked questions
What is a preventative treatment for macular degeneration?
Wear broad-brimmed hats and sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun. Specific nutrients can help prevent macular degeneration. Eating a balanced diet with fresh fruits and dark-green leafy vegetables, such as kale, collard greens, and spinach, can help you out.
What is the best treatment for AMD?
Doctors usually recommend anti-VEGF injections for macular degeneration treatment. These medicines stop the bleeding and leaking in the blood vessels in the back of your eye. The most common kind of treatment for MD patients is anti-VEGF injections.
Can you live a normal life with AMD?
Yes, people can live a normal life with AMD. Yet, they get worried about losing vision or going blind when they are told they have macular degeneration. However, with the right set of macular degeneration treatments, you can keep a good vision for your entire life.
WowRx uses only high-quality sources while writing our articles. Please read our content information policy to know more about how we keep our content reliable and trustworthy.