Age-related macular degeneration

A disease with it onset usually after age 60 that progressively destroys the macula, the central portion of the retina, impairing central vision. Age-related macular degeneration (AME) rarely causes blindness because only the center of vision is affected. However, injury to the macula in the center of the retina can impair the ability to see straight ahead clearly and sometimes make it difficult to read, drive, or perform other daily activities that require fine central vision. The macula is in the center of the retina at the back of the eye. As we read, light is focused onto the macula where millions of cells change the light into nerve signals that travel to the brain and tell it what we are seeing. This is our central vision. With normal central vision, we are able to read, drive, and perform other activities that require fine, sharp, straight-ahead vision. There are two types of AMD — the dry type and the far more frequent wet type. Neither type causes pain. An early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear wavy. This happens because the newly formed blood vessels leak fluid under the macula. The fluid raises the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye and distorts vision. Another sign that a person may have wet AMD is rapid loss of central vision. This is different from dry AMD in which loss of central vision occurs slowly. In both dry and wet AMD, the person may also notice a blind spot. If any of these changes in vision is noticed, an ophthalmologist should be consulted without delay. Supplements of zinc and the antioxidants vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene reportedly slow the progression of wet AMD. In people with intermediate-stage disease, zinc reduced the risk of the disease progressing to the advanced stage by 11%, and the antioxidants reduced the risk by 10%. When the two were combined, the risk was reduced by 19%. The daily doses of the antioxidants used in the study were 500 milligrams of vitamin C, 400 milligrams of vitamin E and 15 milligrams of beta-carotene (a molecule the body converts to vitamin A). The daily dose of zinc was 80 milligrams with 2 milligrams of copper. These amounts are well above the usual levels recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): 3 times as much vitamin A, 8 times as much vitamin C, 13 times as much vitamin E and 5 times as much zinc. For a fuller consideration of this disorder, see the article on Age-related macular degeneration.

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age-related macular degeneration n macular degeneration that affects the elderly in either a slowly progressing form marked esp. by the accumulation of yellow deposits in and thinning of the macula lutea or in a rapidly progressing form marked by scarring produced by bleeding and fluid leakage below the macula lutea

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(ARMD) a type of macular degeneration seen most often in persons over the age of 50, although retinal changes can be seen earlier; this is the leading cause of blindness in elderly persons. There are two main types, the more common nonexudative (dry or involutional) type and the less common exudative (wet or neovascular) type.