Diagnosis and Treatment of Macular Degeneration

Diagnosis and Treatment of Macular Degeneration

Experts at the American Academy of Ophthalmology recognizes the importance of early diagnosis and treatment in people with macular degeneration (MD). This eye condition damages the macula of your retina. If untreated, MD can take away your central vision. It can disrupt your daily activities and decrease your productivity. If you want to understand more about the diagnosis and care for people with MD, here’s what you should know.

 

The Diagnosis

To determine if you have MD, your eye care provider will perform the following:

 

Assessment of Health History

Before any form of treatment starts, your eye expert will ask about your health history. Expect to share your health conditions, medications, and supplements.

 

Amsler Grid Test

This eye exam aims to determine the health of your central vision. If you have MD, some of the lines in the Amsler grid will look distorted, faded, or broken.

 

Test For Drusen

The dilating eye drops in your eyes will enable your specialist to see the back of your eye and check for drusen. If your eye has drusen, your eye doctor will notice yellow-colored deposits under your eye. The speckled appearance of your eye indicates that you have MD.

 

Fluorescein Angiography

During this eye exam, your eye care provider will introduce a dye into a vein, usually in the arm. This dye reaches your eye and highlights the tiny capillaries in it. A specialized camera then takes photos of your eye as the dye passes through. It will show any abnormalities in your eye’s blood vessels. Such changes in your retina indicate MD.

 

Optical Coherence Tomography

This is a non-intrusive imaging exam that shows cross-sections of your retina in detail. It pinpoints swelling, thinning, or thickening areas of your retina.

 

Indocyanine Green Angiography

The results of this eye exam will indicate the type of MD that you have.

 

Tonometry

This eye test measures your intraocular pressure or IOP. Elevated IOP is a sign of MD.

 

The Treatment

Although there is no cure for MD, early detection can lead to the prevention of vision loss. Here are some treatment modalities for this eye condition:

 

Telescopic Lens Implant Surgery

If you have an advanced case of MD, you can have this surgery to improve your vision. Your eye care provider will surgically implant a telescopic lens in your eye to magnify what you see.

 

Low-vision Rehabilitation 

This is a way to cope with MD. Here, a low-vision specialist will help train you to see despite your changing eyesight.
 

Lifestyle Changes 

You can help slow down the progress of your MD if you quit smoking, manage your chronic conditions, and keep your weight within a normal range. You can also take supplements like antioxidants, copper, zinc, zeaxanthin, and lutein to keep your eyes healthy.

 

Macular degeneration can be debilitating. Yet, with early diagnosis and treatment, you can prevent loss of vision.



To find out more about the diagnosis & treatment of MD, contact Auglaize Family Eye Care in Wapakoneta, Ohio at 419-775-4300.