Answering Your Macular Degeneration FAQs
Macular degeneration is a significant eye condition that can lead to central vision loss and cause difficulty reading fine details and recognizing faces. If you or a loved one is dealing with macular degeneration, you likely have questions about the disease and its treatment. Urias Eyecare in Midland, TX, offers preventative care to help patients preserve their eyesight. We are here to answer frequently asked questions about macular degeneration to give you the knowledge necessary to maintain healthy eyes and strong vision.
What Is Macular Degeneration?
Macular degeneration is an eye disease that affects the macula, causing central vision loss. However, this condition cannot cause total blindness. Macular degeneration comes in a dry and wet form, with wet macular degeneration being more rapid than the dry form. Many people with macular degeneration experience symptoms like visual distortions, needing brighter light when reading, difficulty recognizing faces, and having a blurry or blind spot in their field of vision.
What Distinguishes Wet From Dry Macular Degeneration?
Macular degeneration comes in a wet and dry form, each with significant differences in causes and severity. Dry macular degeneration is the most common of the two, accounting for 90% of cases compared to the wet form’s 10%. Dry macular degeneration occurs slowly and causes gradual vision loss, while wet macular degeneration happens suddenly due to blood vessel growth under the macula. The wet form is also more severe and requires immediate attention.
Are Some People at Higher Risk of Macular Degeneration?
People over 50 years old are most at risk of developing macular degeneration. Your risk of macular degeneration also increases if you have a family history of this condition. Other factors contributing to macular degeneration include smoking, obesity, and high blood pressure. Frequent eye exams from your optometrist near you are vital for people in the high-risk category.
Do Children Get Macular Degeneration?
Although rare, macular degeneration can affect children and young adults. Juvenile macular degeneration often occurs due to a genetic flaw. Stargardt and Best’s disease are the two most common forms of juvenile macular degeneration. Both conditions develop early in the child’s life, but vision loss may not occur until later.
What Treatments Are Available for Macular Degeneration?
Unfortunately, dry macular degeneration does not have a cure. Early detection and management are crucial for slowing the progression of this condition and preventing significant vision loss. Lifestyle adjustments like quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, and using UV-blocking sunglasses can help reduce your risk of developing macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration does have treatment options available. Your optometrist can recommend nutritional supplements or injectable medication to limit the growth of new blood vessels.
Schedule an Eye Exam With Your Optometrist Near You Today at Urias Eyecare
Macular degeneration can cause central vision loss and significantly impact your quality of life without proper management, so contact the optometry team at Urias Eyecare in Midland, TX, to schedule an eye exam and protect your eyesight. Call us and schedule an appointment today at (432) 368-4102 to maintain your eye and vision health.
