Macular Degeneration

What is macular disease?

Your macula is the part of your retina that allows you to see straight ahead of you. Your retina is located at the back of your eye and has photoreceptor cells that pick up light and translate it into signals that travel to your brain.

Macular disease interferes with the function of your macula and can cause irreparable damage and vision loss. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common type of macular disease that often leads to impaired vision. There are two types of AMD: wet and dry. Around 90% of people with AMD have the dry type of the disease. Dry AMD causes gradual deterioration of your macula as your body stops making new cells to replace your retinal cells as they die.

Wet AMD is less common but can progress more rapidly. It develops when abnormal blood vessels grow in your retina and leak fluid into your macula. The fluid can cause scarring and rapid vision loss.

Even less common types of macular disease include macular dystrophies, diabetic macular edema, central serous retinopathy, and retinal vein occlusion. No matter the type, your specialist at Eye Surgeons Associates can diagnose and treat your condition.

How is macular disease diagnosed?

At Eye Surgeons Associates, the team of expert ophthalmologists uses a variety of tests to assess your central vision and identify macular disease. For example, they use acuity tests to evaluate your near and distance vision. They will dilate your pupil and examine your retina and macula using an ophthalmoscope and optical coherence tomography testing.

How is macular disease treated?

Eye Surgeons Associates has a retina specialist on staff who offers customized treatments for macular disease. While there’s no cure for dry AMD, you can protect your eye health by avoiding processed food and artificial fats and eating antioxidant-rich foods, including at least one serving of fatty fish like salmon each week. Your doctor can prescribe corrective lenses and lifestyle modifications to help you see as clearly as possible.

If you have wet AMD and it’s caught early enough, your physician can prescribe anti-VEGF medication to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth in your eye. In some cases, your ophthalmologist may suggest photodynamic therapy or thermal laser photocoagulation to get rid of abnormal blood vessels.

If you’re concerned about macular disease, call Eye Surgeons Associates.