MACULAR DEGENERATION
It was not that long ago that a diagnosis of wet macular degeneration meant almost certain eventual blindness. Early attempts at treating the disease with macular laser and subfoveal surgery resulted in less than ideal outcomes. The development of Anti-VEGF medications, along with the invention of the OCT, has forever changed the field of medical retina.
What is dry macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two types: “dry” and “wet”. The dry type of AMD is most common and typically leads to less severe vision loss than the wet type. There have been some recent developments with medication injections for dry AMD but their long-term outcomes and when exactly they will be most beneficial has yet to be determined. The treatment most often recommended for dry AMD is the AREDS 2 formula of eye vitamins. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that a combination of specific vitamins or supplements can reduce the progression of dry AMD and the chance of the AMD converting into the wet variant. The specific supplements are Lutein, Zeaxanthin, vitamins C & E and the minerals zinc and copper.
What is wet macular degeneration?
Wet AMD is considered the more severe type. In this condition, a small blood vessel called choroidal neovascularization (CNV) grows into the patient’s retina from the layer underneath called the choroid. There is a barrier between these layers that, in healthy retinas, prevents these blood vessels from occurring. It is thought that in wet AMD there are defects in the barrier layer which allows the CNV to penetrate.
How is wet macular degeneration treated?
When a patient develops CNV in their macula there can be devastating loss of central vision. The CNV can cause bleeding between the layers of the retina. Swelling in the retina is called cystoid macular edema (CME) and fluid underneath the retina called sub-retinal fluid (SRF). Before the development of Anti-VEGF medications, there were not any great treatment options for patients with wet AMD. Retina surgeons could try to surgically remove the CNV membrane or use laser to burn and seal off these leaky vessels. Both of these procedures inevitably caused some collateral damage to the surrounding areas and because this is all occurring in the patient’s macula, restoring their vision significantly was not likely. Thankfully, we now have much better treatment options. The original Anti-VEGF medications still work well in many patients. Now we have newer second generation medications that can help many of the patients who did not respond well to the original ones. In addition to these medications, advancements in retinal imaging with OCT and other techniques help Ophthalmologists more closely monitor the patient’s AMD and their response to treatments.
AMD is a genetic disease. If you have a family member with AMD, please be sure to have your own eyes checked for any early signs. If you or a loved one has advanced AMD, make an appointment with a local low vision specialist. This is an Optometrist who specializes in helping people with limited vision. The low-vision specialist uses special glasses or other devices to maximize the remaining vision a patient has, thereby improving their quality of life as much as possible.
Make an appointment today!
If you have macular degeneration or a family history of macular degeneration it's very important to have regular check ups to protect your vision. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Zelenak! We proudly serve patients in Wixom, Novi, Northville, Livonia and the surrounding Metro Detroit areas.
What is dry macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) comes in two types: “dry” and “wet”. The dry type of AMD is most common and typically leads to less severe vision loss than the wet type. There have been some recent developments with medication injections for dry AMD but their long-term outcomes and when exactly they will be most beneficial has yet to be determined. The treatment most often recommended for dry AMD is the AREDS 2 formula of eye vitamins. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) showed that a combination of specific vitamins or supplements can reduce the progression of dry AMD and the chance of the AMD converting into the wet variant. The specific supplements are Lutein, Zeaxanthin, vitamins C & E and the minerals zinc and copper.
What is wet macular degeneration?
Wet AMD is considered the more severe type. In this condition, a small blood vessel called choroidal neovascularization (CNV) grows into the patient’s retina from the layer underneath called the choroid. There is a barrier between these layers that, in healthy retinas, prevents these blood vessels from occurring. It is thought that in wet AMD there are defects in the barrier layer which allows the CNV to penetrate.
How is wet macular degeneration treated?
When a patient develops CNV in their macula there can be devastating loss of central vision. The CNV can cause bleeding between the layers of the retina. Swelling in the retina is called cystoid macular edema (CME) and fluid underneath the retina called sub-retinal fluid (SRF). Before the development of Anti-VEGF medications, there were not any great treatment options for patients with wet AMD. Retina surgeons could try to surgically remove the CNV membrane or use laser to burn and seal off these leaky vessels. Both of these procedures inevitably caused some collateral damage to the surrounding areas and because this is all occurring in the patient’s macula, restoring their vision significantly was not likely. Thankfully, we now have much better treatment options. The original Anti-VEGF medications still work well in many patients. Now we have newer second generation medications that can help many of the patients who did not respond well to the original ones. In addition to these medications, advancements in retinal imaging with OCT and other techniques help Ophthalmologists more closely monitor the patient’s AMD and their response to treatments.
AMD is a genetic disease. If you have a family member with AMD, please be sure to have your own eyes checked for any early signs. If you or a loved one has advanced AMD, make an appointment with a local low vision specialist. This is an Optometrist who specializes in helping people with limited vision. The low-vision specialist uses special glasses or other devices to maximize the remaining vision a patient has, thereby improving their quality of life as much as possible.
Make an appointment today!
If you have macular degeneration or a family history of macular degeneration it's very important to have regular check ups to protect your vision. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Zelenak! We proudly serve patients in Wixom, Novi, Northville, Livonia and the surrounding Metro Detroit areas.
