Our eyes provide perhaps the most important of our five main senses. Sight is something that we once needed to survive, providing the ability to detect danger. Today, there are many ways to get around without vision. Although those with reduced sight, or even no sight at all, are able to function as sighted individuals do, preventing sight loss is still important. This is in part because if sight is no longer necessary for survival, it is a part of enjoying life. Sight allows you to read, to write; it allows you to take in art and beauty, and to experience the stunning visuals the world offers. As such, it’s important that you catch eye disease as quickly as possible. Eye disease of all kinds doesn’t have to mean total or even partial vision loss. You just have to be aggressive about diagnosis and treatment. If you’re experiencing complications with eye disease, or simply want to learn about your options, it’s valuable that you do your own research while at the same time seeking medical attention and the opinion of your doctors. That way, you can get the best possibility prognosis and results.
Eye Disease: The Realities Of AMD
One of the most common forms of eye disease is age-related macular degeneration. As the name suggests, this is not necessarily related to genetics, but the natural progression of age. This doesn’t mean that its effects are any less devastating, and certainly they can be treated. This progressive condition affects 15 million Americans, and millions more worldwide. The disease strikes the macula area of the eye, which is where our sharpest vision occurs. Escalating with age, it is the number one cause of severe vision loss and legal blindness in adults over 60. This disease affects 14 to 24% of the American population between the ages of 65-74 and 35, and 40% of people over 75. What are the risks of this devastating eye disease? Well, obviously everyone’s risk increases with age. Over one in three people can develop this disease, with over 200,000 new cases being diagnosed on a yearly basis. Certain lifestyle choices can affect your risk for eye disease. Smoking, for example, can increase your risk of AMD. Although certain genes put your more at risk than others, it’s important to stress that this disease can be as much the result of environmental factors as it is the result of the genetic ones. Another important thing to remember is not to overly strain your eyes, or spend too long looking at bright objects — like a computer screen — in dim lighting. Although early stage AMD is increasingly common among Americans, not every person with early stage AMD will necessarily develop late stage AMD. The good thing about this is that AMD can be treated, and its progression stopped.
Macular Degeneration Treatment: Some Methods
There are several different treatments for AMD available. These can sometimes also help treat macular pucker, a condition in which scar tissue develops over the macula, contributing to AMD. One possible issue that can happen with eye disease is retinal detachment. It affects men more than women, and most commonly people over 40. The good thing is that this particular issue can be treated with retinal therapy, and often with good results. Other problems that can arise in the realm of eye disease include floaters, which can in fact result in retinal detachment. Floaters are often treated through vitrectomy surgery, a procedure that can be performed quickly and with limited invasiveness. A procedure with little risk of complication, it has the added benefit of a high success rate.
No matter what kind of eye disease you’re dealing with, there are options that can help you. The important thing is that you’re proactive and take the steps needed to ensure that your eyes stay healthy for a long time to come.