What is Macular Degeneration? 
Symptoms of Macular Degeneration 
How is Macular Degeneration Treated? 
Macular Degeneration and Nutrition 
Vitamins and minerals (particularly zinc) and macular degeneration? 
Why are regular medical eye examinations important for everyone? 
 
     As you get older, you may see things a little less clearly than you did when you were young. But it's important to realize that there is a certain age-related eye disease that can do much more harm than cause words on the page you're reading to blur. 
 
     Macular degeneration is the most common cause of severe vision loss among people over 65, and, as life expectancy increases, the disease is becoming an increasingly important problem.   Depending on the type of macular degeneration, there may be few options for treating the disease.  But the good news is: numerous studies and research are being conducted that will, hopefully, offer more solutions in the future. 

What is Macular Degeneration?  

      Located in the center of the retina, the sensitive macula provides us with sight in the center of our field of vision. When we look directly at something, the macula allows us to see the fine details. This sharp, straight-ahead vision is necessary for driving, reading, recognizing faces, and doing close work, such as sewing. 

     The two common types of macular degeneration are dry and wet. The dry form accounts for 90% of cases and is caused by aging and thinning of the tissues of the macula. It develops slowly and usually causes mild vision loss. People often notice a dimming of vision when they read.   Wet macular degeneration is a much greater threat to vision loss even though it accounts for only 10% of cases. With the wet form of the disease, new blood vessels grow beneath the retina where they leak fluid and blood and can create a large blind spot in the center of your visual field. If this happens, there will be a marked disturbance of vision.   Although it's more common for people over 60, it is possible to develop symptoms in your 40's or 50's.  Macular degeneration often runs in families. 

Symptoms of Macular Degeneration 

     Symptoms can include: blurry or fuzzy vision straight lines, such as sentences on a page, telephone poles, and sides of buildings, appear wavy a dark or empty area appears in the center of vision.   If you experience any of these symptoms in either one or both eyes, schedule an appointment with your ophthalmologist for an examination immediately. 

Blurry in center of vision

How is Macular Degeneration Treated?  

     Unfortunately, the cause of macular degeneration is unknown. Although your ophthalmologist will be able to readily detect the disease during an eye exam, he or she won’t be able to cure it. The goal is to help the patient see better and stabilize the condition.   Although there is no proven treatment for dry macular degeneration, some people believe that antioxidants or zinc supplements may help. 

     Outpatient laser surgery may be an option for people with more severe wet macular degeneration. The laser beam is used to destroy the abnormal blood vessels and works best when these vessels have not grown under the macula.   Laser surgery is less helpful when the abnormal blood vessels have already grown under the macula. In this case, the laser might cause as much damage as the presence of abnormal blood vessels. This is why early diagnosis is so important. 

     The "good" news about macular degeneration is that even though people who have it experience mild to severe vision loss, macular degeneration does not affect peripheral, or side vision. One does not go blind. With the help of low vision aids, people can continue to enjoy many of their favorite activities and can still lead normal, independent lives. 

Most of low vision aids combine magnification and bright lights.   But vision aids aren't like glasses, which allow you to see whatever you're looking at when you put them on. One kind of vision aid may be helpful when you read but totally ineffective when you watch TV or focus on something in the distance. People need to try different types for different   situations. 

Macular Degeneration and Nutrition 

What do vitamins and minerals have to do with macular degeneration?   Should I take anti-oxidant vitamins or zinc for macular degeneration? Good nutrition requires a diet with a healthy mixture of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. 

     Probably no part of our diet has been as misused or misunderstood as our requirement for vitamins and minerals. Protein is needed for the building blocks and chemical machinery of our bodies; carbohydrates are needed for immediate fuel and energy; fats are needed for long-term storage of fuel and energy. Vitamins are organic compounds that our bodies cannot manufacture and are essential for maintaining good health. Minerals, in small amounts, are required for the body's enzyme system (enzymes assist chemical reactions such as the breakdown of food into energy). 

Vitamins and minerals (particularly zinc) and macular degeneration? 

      There are different kinds of macular problems, but the most common is age-related macular degeneration. Exactly why it develops is not known, and no treatment has been uniformly effective. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe visual loss in people over 65.  Zinc, one of the most common trace minerals in our body, is highly concentrated in the eye, particularly in the retina and tissues surrounding the macula. Zinc is necessary for the action of over 100 enzymes, including chemical reactions in the retina. Studies have shown that some older people have low levels of zinc in their blood, either because of poor diet or poor absorption of zinc from food.   Because zinc is important for the health of the macula, some doctors think that supplements of zinc in the diet may slow down the process of macular degeneration. But the scientific studies are not complete and there is no agreement among doctors concerning the value of zinc supplements. It is possible that too much zinc may interfere with other trace minerals such as copper. 

     Vitamins Normal chemical reactions from light in the eye activate oxygen, which may cause macular damage. Some vitamins function as anti-oxidants, chemicals which work against this activated oxygen, and perhaps protect the macula from damage. It is claimed that anti-oxidant vitamins (vitamin A, C and E) can help slow down macular degeneration and other aging factors. As in the controversy over zinc, there is no agreement that these anti-oxidants actually help macular degeneration. 

     Should I take anti-oxidant vitamins or zinc for macular degeneration?  The first step to overall good health is a balanced diet. Vitamins and minerals are commonly given as supplements to the diet in amounts determined by recommended daily allowances. These supplementary dosages cause no apparent harm and are commonly available. But large doses of vitamins, called therapeutic doses, in amounts many times the daily recommended allowances, may not be completely safe. Research is still in progress about nutrition and macular degeneration. 

Why are regular medical eye examinations important for everyone? 

      Eye disease can occur at any age. Many eye diseases do not cause symptoms until the disease has done damage. Since most blindness is preventable if diagnosed and treated early, regular medical examinations by an ophthalmologist are very important.