Macula degeneration, age-related macula degeneration (AMD), central retina disease
Consequently the macula is the most precious part of the retina, the part that can accomplish the most but at the same time has to perform the most. The macula is not least the part of the retina that is subjected to most of the light during a lifetime. The high performance is not only achieved by a very complex architecture but also by an outstandingly working metabolism. weiter zur Entstehung...
Each injury of the macula means a malfunction of the photoreceptors and with this a defect in the middle of the passed-on picture. This defect becomes noticeable by one or even more warning symptom (please check out symptoms). The macular degeneration is the most common disease of the central retina and right after the cataract the second-common eye disease in a higher age. Most common (in 70% of all cases) the macula is occurring in its dry form. This form of the macula is developing either by a steady growing thinning of the retina layers within the macula or by an age-related alteration of the tissue conterminous to the macula that is very important for its nutrition. The consequence is a slow-going decrease of intact sensory cells within the macula and with this a reduction of the ability to see with the respective eye.
Extremely rare is the so-called “moist” macula degeneration. This form of disease is occurring when the retina is not marked of enough against the subjacent vascular-rich tissue layers. When this happens the vessels can sprout from there and cause a distension of the retina or even bleedings that ultimately lead to a cicatrisation of the macula. The decrease in the ability to see is happening very quickly and severely and is therefore normally recognized much faster from the patients than with the macula degeneration. weiter zu Symptome...
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The most important symptom in the early stages when it comes to a moist macula degeneration is the perception of a shape-changed (deformed) or size-changed picture.
- sensation of a dark patch
- deformed picture sensation
- size-changed picture sensation
- decreased visual acuity
Things and processes that are happening outside the centre of the picture, however, are not projected onto the macula and are therefore apprehended unmodified.
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For the dry form of the macula degeneration unfortunately there is still no target-oriented therapy. But very often an acceptable acuity can be kept up.
The apace clarification by an ophthalmologist is conclusively important because an early-diagnosed moist macula degeneration can be stopped by laser therapy in some cases. The laser treatment, however, cannot bring back the lost visual acuity but by means of an atrophy of the sprouted vessels a still remaining good level of acuity can be obtained. This remaining level of acuity is converting the aggressive moist macula degeneration into a far more harmless dry macula degeneration.
Important rules regarding macula degenerations:
- The background sensation, the patient’s ability to orientate is still fully intact despite the macula degeneration. Macula degeneration, however, does not lead to blindness!
- Macula degeneration of one eye does not mean that automatically the other eye will develop the same symptoms, too.
- A patient suffering from macula degeneration should at least one a week contemplate the imaged reticule (checked pattern). Every suddenly appearing alteration of the image pattern has to be clarified immediately by an ophthalmologist.
- In many cases a constrained read capability can be achieved by a magnifying vision aid when it comes to dry macula degeneration.
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