What is Macular Disease?
Age-related macular degeneration, popularly known as “macular degeneration”, is a problem with the retina layer of the eye. Stating that macular degeneration can lead to blindness in old age, Anadolu Health Center Ophthalmology Specialist Op. Dr. Yusuf Avni Yılmaz said, “Risk factors of macular degeneration include old age, smoking, presence of a family member with macular degeneration, high blood pressure, obesity and inactivity, having light eye color, excessive exposure to sunlight, excessive fat consumption, side effects of some medications.” “It can be counted,” he said. Kiss. Dr. Yusuf Avni Yılmaz answered the questions in mind about macular degeneration…
The health of the macula region of the retina; It determines the ability to read, recognize, drive, watch television, use a computer, and perform other visual functions that require seeing fine details. Macular degeneration, or macular degeneration, occurs when the part of the retina called the macula is damaged for various reasons. With macular degeneration, central vision is lost depending on the degree of the disease. When looking at a close or distant object, details cannot be seen. However, peripheral (side) vision may still be normal. For example, when looking at a watch on the wrist, the hour and minute hands may not be visible, although the numbers are visible. When looking at straight lines or squares at a very early stage, the lines appear oblique and twisted.
The only way to prevent macular degeneration is to eat well and use sunglasses.
According to a study conducted in the USA in 2010, there are 9.1 million cases of early macular degeneration in the world. This number is expected to increase to 17.8 million by 2050. There are two types of macular degeneration: ‘dry type’ and ‘wet type’. Dry type macular degeneration; It accounts for approximately 90 percent of cases. macular degenerationIt progresses slowly and there is no specific medication for treatment of this disease. The dry type is an early stage of the disease and may result from aging and thinning of the macular tissues, deposition of pigment into the macula, or a combination of the two processes. Dry macular degeneration can be diagnosed when yellowish spots, known as drusen, begin to accumulate in and around the macula. These spots are believed to be deposits or debris resulting from the breakdown of tissues. The only way to protect yourself from dry macular degeneration or prevent its progression is to have a good diet and use sunglasses that protect you from the harmful rays of the sun.
What Causes Yellow Spot Disease?
In approximately 10 percent of cases of dry macular degeneration, the eye disease can progress to a more advanced and harmful form. With wet (wet) macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow under the retina and blood and fluid leak. This leak causes permanent damage to light-sensitive retinal cells and creates blind spots in central vision. As fluid leaks from the newly formed vessels, edema occurs in the retina and serious vision loss occurs.
Macular Disease Symptoms: Blurred and distorted vision is a symptom of macular degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration usually causes slow and painless vision loss. However, in rare cases, vision loss can be sudden. Early symptoms of age-related macular degeneration include shadowed areas in central vision, unusually blurred or distorted vision. The diagnosis of the disease is made during a detailed eye examination. “Armsler grid map” It is done with a card test with a large number of squares, known as. Seeing that the lines on this card are bent should raise suspicion for macular degeneration. In addition, during the examination, it is necessary to dilate the pupil with drops and examine the retina in detail. OCT and eye angiography, if necessary, are important to confirm the diagnosis and determine the type of possible macular degeneration.
Genetic predisposition can cause macular degeneration
Although macular degeneration is associated with aging, research also shows that the disease has a genetic component. Researchers have noted a strong association between the development of age-related macular degeneration and the gene variant. This gene deficiency is associated with nearly half of cases of potentially blinding macular degeneration. Specific variants of one or more of these genes, which play a role in the body’s immune responses, were found in 74 percent of macular degeneration patients studied. Other research has shown that deoxygenated cells in the retina produce a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor, which triggers the growth of new blood vessels in the retina.
Macular Disease Treatment: It is more common in women
In addition to affecting older populations, macular degeneration is particularly common in whites than blacks and in women than men. There is no definitive cure yet for age-related macular degeneration, but some treatments can delay its progression or even improve vision. Treatment for macular degeneration depends on whether the disease is in an early-stage, dry form or a more severe wet form that can lead to serious vision loss. There is no cure yet for dry macular degeneration, but nutrition regulation and various vitamins may help prevent progression to the wet form. For the wet type, it has been shown that vision can be improved by intravenous drug administration, known as photodynamic therapy, radiation therapy applied to the eye, and intraocular injections, among treatments aimed at stopping abnormal blood vessel growth.
