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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 55 affecting over 6 million people in the United States. AMD is the degeneration of the central part of the retina called the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that is responsible for straight-ahead vision.
Two types of macular degeneration:
Dry macular degeneration – Dry macular degeneration is the most common form of AMD. Dry macular degeneration is characterized by small yellow deposits called "drusen" that occur under the macula. Drusen may cause the cells in the macula to deteriorate causing loss of central vision.
Wet macular degeneration –Wet macular degeneration occurs less frequently than dry macular degeneration, however, wet macular degeneration is responsible for most macular degeneration related vision loss. Wet macular degeneration occurs when new blood vessels start to develop under the retina causing hemorrhage, swelling, and scarring. Such grown can damage the macular resulting in central vision loss.
In general scientists do not know what causes Macular degeneration but believe it is lnked to age, genetic, smoking, sunlight exposure, and nutrition.
In the first stages of AMD, typically the dry state, its possible no symptoms will be experienced. However, under drusen (see above) can be detected by a doctor during a dilated exam. An eye doctor usually notices the first indicator of this disease during a routine visit. However, as AMD becomes more severe patients may experience loss of central vision, difficulty reading, difficulty performing tasks that require the ability to see detail, or distorted vision (straight lines that may appear to be wavy).
In some cases of wet macular degeneration laser treatment is sometimes effective for stopping bleeding blood vessels. Currently there is no treatment for dry macular degeneration. However, in 2001 the National Eye Institute released its findings from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). AREDS proved that patients at high risk for advanced AMD could lower their risk when treated with a certain high-dose formulation of beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, and copper. Viteyes® offers several product which contain the AREDS recommended formula.
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