How to prevent and treat age-related macular degeneration

Dear Savvy Senior,

Is macular degeneration hereditary? My mother mislaid overmuch of her imagination from it earlier she died, and now astatine property 65, I’m concerned I whitethorn get it too. What tin you show me?

Brown Eyed Betty

Dear Betty,

Unfortunately, having a genitor aliases related pinch macular degeneration does so summation your consequence of getting it by 3 to 4 times. But nan bully news is location are things you tin do to protect your eyesight, and a number of treatments that are disposable if you do hap to get it. Here’s what you should know.

What is AMD?

Macular degeneration, besides known arsenic age-related macular degeneration (or AMD) is nan astir communal origin of terrible imagination nonaccomplishment successful group complete property 60, affecting an estimated 20 cardinal Americans.

AMD is simply a progressive oculus illness that damages nan macula, nan portion of nan oculus that allows america to spot objects clearly, causing imagination nonaccomplishment successful nan halfway of your vision. This affects nan expertise to read, drive, watch tv and do regular daily tasks, but it does not origin full blindness.

There are 2 types of AMD – barren and wet. Dry AMD, which affects astir 85 to 90 percent of each group that person it, progresses slow and painlessly complete a play of years.
Meanwhile, bedewed AMD is overmuch much fierce and tin origin terrible imagination nonaccomplishment successful a matter of weeks aliases months.

Factors that tin summation your consequence of getting AMD see property (60 and older); smoking; excessive vulnerability to sunlight particularly if you person light-colored eyes; definite familial components; a family history of AMD; precocious humor pressure; obesity; and being Caucasian.

What You Can Do

For anyone complete nan property of 65, it’s a smart thought to get your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist each year. They tin spot early signs of AMD earlier imagination nonaccomplishment occurs. Early signs, however, whitethorn see shadowy areas successful your cardinal imagination aliases unusually fuzzy aliases distorted vision.

The Amsler grid is besides an fantabulous instrumentality to cheque your eyes for AMD astatine home. Visit Macular.org, and hunt “amsler chart” to trial your sight.

While there’s presently nary cure for AMD, location are things you tin do if you’re precocious risk, including: eating antioxidant-rich foods specified arsenic acheronian green, leafy vegetables, and cold-water food for their omega-3 fatty acids; protecting your eyes from nan sun by wearing UV protective sunglasses; controlling precocious humor pressure; exercising regularly; and if you smoke, quit.

Dry AMD Treatments

If you do hap to get AMD, your expert whitethorn urge you commencement taking a regular dose of antioxidant vitamins and minerals known arsenic AREDS aliases AREDS2. Studies by nan National Eye Institute person shown that while taking these supplements cannot forestall you from getting AMD, they tin trim your consequence of progression from intermediate to precocious AMD by astir 25 percent.

You tin acquisition AREDS supplements – made by Bausch and Lomb and sold arsenic PreserVision – complete nan antagonistic successful galore drugstores and online for astir $30 a bottle.

There are besides 2 caller medications (Syfovre and Izervay) that were approved by nan FDA past twelvemonth to dainty a late-stage shape of AMD called geographic atrophy aliases GA. These treatments, which are fixed either monthly aliases each different period successful nan shape of an injection into nan eye, tin slow nan progression of GA.

Wet AMD Treatments

For bedewed AMD, location are respective anti-VEGF medications for illustration Avastin, Lucentis and Eylea that tin extremity imagination nonaccomplishment and whitethorn moreover reconstruct it. These medications, which person been astir for much than a decade, are besides fixed by injection into nan oculus and repeated each period aliases two.

Newer anti-VEGF drugs, for illustration Vabysmo and Eyla HD, are besides highly effective but don’t require monthly treatments. Most patients connected these medications tin spell 3 to 4 months betwixt injections.

Send your elder questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, aliases sojourn SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is simply a contributor to nan NBC Today show and writer of “The Savvy Senior” book.