Dry Macular Degeneration

It’s a disease of eye commonly affecting the people in their 4^th decade of life. It affects central vision due to thinning of the area of retina known as macula. It may arise as unilateral defect but can be bilateral. It doesn’t cause total blindness but it worsens as time passes.

Symptoms

Basic sign and symptoms include:

Distortion in the visual field [ straight lines appear to be bent]
Blurring of vision. Unable to read
Unilateral or bilateral distortion of vision.
Need of bright torch light or lamp to read anything.
Decrease ability of accommodation.
As this condition doesn’t effect peripheral vision it doesn’t cause total blindness.

Causes

Basic cause of this condition is still unknown. However, some studies show that genetical and environmental factors play great role including smoking and unhealthy diets. As it affects the macula overtime macula may break off.

Complications

If dry macular degeneration progress it may lead to social anxiety, isolation and depression in patients. If left untreated for a long time it can cause Charles bonnet syndrome which is characterized by visual hallucinations. Dry macular degeneration may progress to wet macular degeneration.

Diagnosis

After having detailed family and social history different tests are conducted including:

Examining the back of eye to see drusen- yellow mottled appearance under the retina.
Using Amsler grid to check for central vision distortion.
To check the blood vessels and retinal abnormalities Fluorescein angiography is used.
A noninvasive technique to get imaging of retina called as Optical coherence tomography is done.

Treatment

Till today no treatment is found for dry macular degeneration although if diagnosed earlier it can be managed by vitamin supplements and healthy diet. Patients can consider low vision rehabilitation therapist or surgery for implantation of telescopic lens to cope up with the highly degenerative eye.

Home remedies

Limit the amount of smoking.
Manage to get healthy diets.
Have regular medical checkups for preventing the development of any other comorbid like diabetes, cardiovascular condition.
Get into physical workouts and maintain normal BMI.
Take vitamin supplements like vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zinc oxide, copper.

Dry Macular Degeneration