This article was written by Matt

Developing a disease that damages part or all of your vision makes for an uphill battle that can bring many challenges. One such disease is macular degeneration. This is the deterioration of the macula which is the tissue located behind the center of your retina. It causes blurring, a central field blind spot and eventually, vision loss. Get the facts about macular degeneration and see what you may be up against as far as treatment and prevention.

There are Two Types

Macular degeneration (Age-Related Macular Degeneration or AMD) manifests in two forms: dry and wet. Dry is more common, takes longer to degenerate your vision and affects the eye in stages. Wet is more serious as it rapidly affects vision loss creating swelling and leakage of the blood vessels in the eye.

The Dry/Wet Relationship

• Dry AMD may turn to wet AMD and speed up potential vision loss.

• There is no way to tell when the dry form may turn to the wet form.

• Wet AMD is considered advanced.

• 85% of people with intermediate or advanced AMD combined have the dry form.

Risks

According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), AMD affects about 2% of people in middle age however those between 60 and 75 have a greater risk of developing the disease with a 30% chance to those over 75. Women are more apt to suffer from AMD as well as Caucasians over African Americans. There is also some research that suggests people struggling with obesity to also be at greater risk.

Causes

• Smoking is one of the causes linked to AMD.

• Immediate family members afflicted with AMD can pass on the disease to near relations.

• Poor diet leading to obesity as well as other related problems such as high blood pressure can be a considerable cause of AMD.

Treatment

AMD is determined by administering a visual acuity test, dilated eye exam and tonometry (eye pressure tool). Macular degeneration treatments, although not a cure, consist of laser surgery, photodynamic therapy (activating an arm-injected drug) which destroys new leaky blood vessels or drug injections directly into the eye (ouch!).

Prevention and Alternative Treatment

• A diet rich in dark green leafy vegetables may help prevent AMD.

• Shark cartilage and carrot supplements are linked to AMD prevention and reversal.

• According to an Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) by the NIE, the following daily formulation has shown some hopeful results: 500mgs Vitamin C, 400IU’s of Vitamin E, 15mgs of beta-carotene (a/k/a 25,000IU’s of Vitamin A), 80mgs of zinc oxide and 2mgs of cupric oxide (copper).

• Preserve Mac Forte is a good supplemental formula.

These facts about macular degeneration are a small portion of the variety associated with it. Always check with your doctor for more detailed info and before implementing any preventative treatments. The good news is that similar to some cancers, AMD can sometimes heal itself or go into remission without any explanation.