What is AMD?
Age Related macular degeneration also known as AMD is the most common form of blindness in the world. It is characterized by a blurred and darkened central vision.
So what symptoms you should be looking for? and when is the time to seek medical help?
To clear our concept, lets begin with the anatomy of the eye:
So, the most relevant structures are the retina, the retinal blood vessels and the choroid.
The retina lines the back of the eye and has many layers. It is mainly responsible for receiving and converting light into a chemical signal. The choroid contains blood vessels to provide nourishment and oxygen to the retina.
The exact root cause of the AMD is still largely unknown and is currently a large area in opthalmology research.
What we know is that this disease starts with lipid and protein accumulation that leads to the formation of solid deposits under the retina. These are known as druzen. When the disease progresses to a more severe form something causes the release of vascular endothelial growth factor also known as vegf from cells near the eye.
Vegf increases the growth of blood vessels in the choroid in a process called choroidal neovascularization.
These new blood vessels
sometimes grow into and damage the retina. They can also leak blood causing a sub-retinal haemorrhage.
In an AMD eye there is a growth of excess blood vessels as the risk of developing AMD is in your genes.
In fact 15% of people with AMD have atleast one first degree relative with the disorder as well but there's one greater risk factor "Old age" the older you get, more likely you are to fall victim to AMD regardless of genetics.
"Old age is the biggest factor"
Now that you understand the mechanisms behind AMD, it's time to talk about treatments and prevention.
The most common treatment is the use of
Anti-Vegf injections.
Vegf
Or vascular endothelial growth factor is the molecule that is directly responsible for vessel growth in the eye.
Anti-Vegf molecules are molecules that seek and bind to vegf in the eye.
This disables vegf preventing more vessel growth and improves vision temporarily.
In fact, regular injections are mandatory. If injections are not repeated every few months the eye will revert back into amg.
The second most common form of treatment is called laser therapy.
Laser therapy is used to destroy abnormal growth in the eye as long as prevent future growth. A surgeon uses a fine laser to destroy abnormal vessel growths in the back of the retina.
As well the scarring process from the laser prevents future vascular growth, because this process is actually is more invasive and more damaging to tissue than anti-vegf injections. It is usually reserved for cases where anti-vegf drugs are not working.
But even better than a treatment is not getting AMD in the first place. Simply put living healthy prevents amd. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables specifically aith lots of Vitamin C Vitamin E and Beta-Carotene is important for eye health and preventing macular degeneration. Also smoking on its own doubles the risk of developing amd meanwhile regular exercise reduces that risk by over 70% if you also don't smoke.
HOW TO PREVENT AMD?
To avoid AMD eat healthy don't smoke and be active.
Thanks for reading my blog.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you