Living Well with Low Vision: A Guide for AMD Awareness Month

February is AMD Awareness Month, so what better time is there to talk about age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects central 2% of your retinal tissue, known as the macula? This region of the light-sensing tissue at the back of your eye controls the sharp central part of your vision, and the condition occurs primarily in people over the age of 50, hence the name.

At Retina Specialists, our team of board-certified ophthalmologists are experts in macular disease, including AMD. As many people aren’t familiar with the condition and don’t know how to function with low vision, the team is taking this opportunity to get you in the know.

What are the causes and symptoms of AMD?

In some families, AMD is an inherited eye disease. However, it can also develop in people with no family history of the disease. It’s also believed that AMD may share a link with diabetes, head injuries, infections, and a diet lacking in certain nutrients necessary for eye health, like lutein.

But the biggest known factor leading to the wasting away of the macular tissue is getting older.

The macula serves an important function in vision: It sends focused light to your brain via the optic nerve located behind the retina. If the tissue is damaged, the brain is “missing” key information about the image you’re seeing, leading to vision loss.

In its earliest stages, AMD may be asymptomatic. That’s why it’s so important to have annual comprehensive dilated eye exams; your ophthalmologist can detect the problem while it’s still easy to treat.

If the disease progresses, you may experience:

• Difficulty seeing in low light
• Blurred vision
• Problems or changes in the way you see colors
• Blank spots or dark spots in your field of vision

Perhaps the most classic symptom of AMD is that straight lines will appear curved or wavy; if you notice this, contact Retina Specialists ASAP for an urgent appointment.

The types of AMD

There are two types of macular degeneration: dry and wet.

1. Dry (atrophic) macular degeneration

Nearly 90% of people with AMD have the dry type, which develops when tiny yellow protein deposits (drusen) form under your macula. These deposits build up, causing the macula to dry out and thin.

Vision loss with the dry type tends to occur gradually, and most people don’t completely lose their central vision. However, it’s possible for the dry form to change into the wet form.

2. Wet (exudative) macular degeneration

This type of AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels develop under the retina and macula, leaking blood and fluid into the surrounding tissue. As a result of the fluid, the macula bulges, and you may start to see dark spots in your central vision. More severe than the dry form, the wet form can quickly lead to complete loss of the central part of your vision.

Treating AMD

There is no cure for AMD, and if you have the dry form, the primary approach to living with the condition is low vision assistance, such as increasing the light around you and using a magnifier to see things more clearly.

Another option is supplementation. The Age-Related Eye Disease Studies (AREDS and AREDS2) determined that a combination of vitamins and minerals (vitamins C and E, lutein, zinc, copper, and zeaxanthin [an antioxidant]) could slow the progression of the dry form.

The wet form is more serious, but there are several treatments that can help slow the disease’s progression. 

The first is antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections. This repurposed colon cancer drug blocks the production of VEGF, a protein that produces new blood vessels. It’s administered by injecting the drug directly into the vitreous of the eye, and it can potentially improve your vision.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is another option. The doctor uses a combination of an injectable light-sensitive drug and a laser to destroy the rogue blood vessels in your eye. Some doctors combine PDT with anti-VEGF shots.

Laser photocoagulation, which uses a laser to seal and destroy the leaking blood vessels, was actually the first treatment for wet AMD. It’s not used much these days since the anti-VEGF drugs are more effective.

If it’s been a while since you’ve had your eyes checked, or if you’re noticing deficits in your vision, schedule an appointment with Retina Specialists as soon as possible. Give us a call at any of our locations (Dallas, DeSoto, Plano, Mesquite, and Waxahachie, Texas).