The changes that occur in our body due to age pave the way for the occurrence of some diseases. Macular degeneration, also known as macular degeneration, is one of them. Macula is the name of the place located in the center of the retina, the nerve layer of our eye, also called the yellow spot. We do most of our daily tasks, such as driving, reading, recognizing faces, and watching television, thanks to the detailed vision created by the macula. When a disease occurs in our macula (yellow spot), our central vision is impaired and we have difficulty performing tasks that require detailed vision. In macular degeneration, age-related changes in our macula damage the visual cells here and impair our vision.
Who gets macular degeneration?
The most important risk factor for macular degeneration is advancing age. Therefore, elderly people are most at risk. Apart from this, family history, hypertension and heart disease and smoking are other known risk factors. Macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness in developed countries. It is thought that there will be around 200 million macular degeneration patients in the world as of 2020.
Are there different types of macular degeneration?
There are two types of macular degeneration. These are wet type and dry type macular degeneration.
Dry type macular degeneration: 90% of the patients are dry type. Damage to visual cells occurs as a result of waste material accumulation in the macula. Vision loss occurs at a very slow rate, over many years. Dry type macular degeneration can sometimes turn into wet type.
Wet type macular degeneration: Although 10% of the patients are in this group, the most serious vision loss is observed in the wet type. As a result of abnormal vascular development under the retina, bleeding and fluid accumulation occur in the retina. This bleeding and fluid damages retinal cells and causes vision loss. Wet vision loss develops suddenly and progresses rapidly.
What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?
The most common symptom is decreased vision. Seeing objects as crooked, for example, seeing door edges not straight, It is an important symptom of distorted vision. Apart from these, there may be complaints such as needing more light while reading, seeing colors as faded, seeing shadows or dark spots on objects. Patients may have difficulty recognizing faces.
Who should consult an ophthalmologist?
Anyone with the above symptoms, especially if they are over 50 years old, should be diagnosed as soon as possible. You should consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Apart from this, eye examination is recommended for people with a family history of macular degeneration or a history of smoking, even if at an earlier age.
What tests are performed to diagnose macular degeneration?
After the routine eye examination, the pupils are dilated with drops and the back of the eye (macula) is examined. It is examined with special lenses. If macular degeneration is suspected, the diagnosis is confirmed by eye angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT-eye tomography) examination, if deemed necessary by the ophthalmologist. The response of the disease to treatment and its follow-up are also done by OCT examination.
What is the squared paper test (Amsler test)?
The squared paper test is a simple test that evaluates the central macula. Patients can also use this test to self-examine at home. After wearing close-up glasses, look at the point in the middle of the paper from a distance of 30 cm, first with one eye and then with the other eye. If findings such as warping, erasing, or dark areas in the lines are observed, it is recommended to consult a doctor immediately.
What is the treatment of dry type macular degeneration?
Today, there is no treatment for dry macular degeneration. If the disease is detected early, the progression of the disease can be slowed down with food supplements specially produced for dry macular degeneration, containing antioxidants, vitamins and omega-3. A diet containing healthy green vegetables and fish has been shown to have a positive effect. If you smoke, you should definitely quit.
What is the treatment of wet macular degeneration?
The aim of the treatment of wet macular degeneration is to stop the progression of the disease and improve the current vision level. protection and early diagnosis If it can be placed, it will increase vision. Medicines given into the eye shrink the abnormal vascular formation and reduce vascular permeability. In this way, undesirable events such as bleeding and fluid accumulation are prevented and further damage to the retina is prevented. Medicines given into the eye will be cleared from the eye after a while and its effectiveness will cease. If the patient does not come for regular check-ups, the disease will be activated again. For this reason, drug injections into the eye are repeated at regular intervals.
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