Age related Macular degeneration or AMD is the top cause of blindness amongst the elderly in developed nations. Sight loss costs the UK economy a 25.2 billion pounds a year and macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss.
AMD is a chronic eye disorder of the central part of the retina, the macula, which is the part of the eye responsible for central vision. With ageing, yellow deposits known as drusen can accumulate in the macula. As AMD progresses, it can become dry which occurs in 85% of patients or wet, which occurs in approximately 15%. Approximately 600,000 patients are affected by AMD in UK alone And Up to 40,000 people in the UK develop it every year.
In wet AMD, There is often a sudden onset of blurred or distorted vision or a blind spot in your central visual field. This is caused by the formation of abnormal blood vessels under or within the macular. These are not mean to be there and they leak fluid (hence the word wet) and bleed in the back of the eye, which can permanently damage and scar the macula. If this fluid is left untreated, central vision will gradually get worse. Wet AMD can progress rapidly and cause significant visual loss as quick as 3 months
Wet AMD requires regular injections called ANTI VEGF to be given inside the eye. and this can only be managed with effective, consistent treatment and regular monitoring of fluid in the back of the eye·
Prevention
There is no current treatment for drusen and indeed for the Dry AMD there is no established treatment
To prevent AMD or progression of AMD, it is important to consider what are the modifiable risk factors. One should refrain from smoking, monitor their blood pressure regularly and treat as necessary, lead a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and maintenance of weight with a balanced diet high in green vegetables. If a healthy diet is not achievable, according to AREDS2 study there has been proven risk reduction by 25% for the use of multivitamin supplements containing lutein and Xanthines.
Amsler
To monitor the progression of AMD we have AMSLER grid which is a graph with black lines on white background. You need to look at it once in 10 days and note the distortion or waviness. If it changes with decreased vision then please see a medical retina specialist
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