Macular Degeneration Assessment
What is Macular Degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition involving damage to the macular, which affects central vision.
The macular is a small but very important part of the eye that is located near the center of the retina, the light-sensing structures that line the back of the eye. It is responsible for allowing us to clearly see fine details, so macular degeneration can make day-to-day activities such as driving, reading, and recognizing faces more challenging. Typically, AMD affects people over the age of 50.
Symptoms
Macular degeneration symptoms can occur in one or both eyes and affects your central vision. It does not affect eye appearance and isn’t painful.
Early symptoms can include blurry vision or distorted vision. As it worsens, you may be unable to see things in the central part of your vision, and often lose the ability to see fine details, close up and far away. You may lose the ability to recognise individual faces.
Other symptoms include straight lines appearing wavy, colors seeming less bright, and objects appearing smaller than they are.
Causes
Exact causes of this disease is unknown, however there is evidence that certain people are at a higher risk. Those include smokers, overweight people, people with high blood pressure, and people with a family history of AMD.
It is recommended that those with AMD quit smoking, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy lifestyle with their diet. They must also have regular eye checks with their optician.