Much is to be said about the significance of regular eye exams. Through such means, it can be determined whether one is suffering from eye or vision problems. Regular eye exams can be propitious as through them, early intervention can be employed. Early intervention or treatment is crucial for eye and vision problems. After all, vision is a faculty far too dear to lose. But vision problems are apt to manifest especially with aging. One of such problems is
. Macular degeneration remains to be one of the major visual diseases besetting the American population. Not much is known on the causes of macular degeneration.
But experts have established that the disease is age-related. The possible damage of the disease to the eyes has been determined. The same can be said with the risk factors. Treatments for macular degeneration are often employed and most effective in the early stages. There are cases however when treatments in its advanced stages have been helpful. As much is yet needed to be ascertained about macular degeneration, studies and experiments are ongoing. A major manifestation of macular degeneration is the deterioration of the macula. The macula is found in the center of the retina. The retina on the other hand is the eye’s component which sends images to the brain.
The retina is that part which is responsible for an individual’s sense of sight. As damage is instigated by
to the macula and the retina, vision problems can occur. Some of them are blind spots or blurry and distorted vision. Not much is known about macular degeneration. But it is a fact that it goes with old age. A link between macular degeneration and a gene variant has also been established. The gene variant is known as complement factor H or CFH. There are two kinds of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Dry or non-nonvascular macular degeneration is the more common among the two.
It occurs among 85% to 90% of those diagnosed with the disease. As for wet or non-vascular macular degeneration, it is quite rare. But it does cause the worst of vision impairments. It is said that dry macular degeneration is caused by the thinning of the macula. As for the wet sort, it is thought of to be caused by a blood or fluid leakage in the retina. Preventive measures for the disease are hard to determine. This is so as little is known about it. But certain risk factors for macular degeneration have been ascertained. Such factors are lifestyle habits such as smoking.
The same can be said with age- the disease is more likely to strike older people. Women are also more likely to suffer from the disease than men. As for race, Caucasians are more predisposed to it. Other risk factors are high cholesterol, exposure to the sun’s UV rays and family history. Researches and studies have indicated that such factors lead to increased chances of acquiring the disease. As of now, no cure for
has been established. As for studies about medications and treatments, they are yet in the early stages.
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