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Archive for the ‘Macular Degeneration’ Category

Dame Judi Densch Announces She has Macular Degeneration

Tuesday, February 21st, 2012

British actress, Judi Densch, said in an interview she has been diagnosed with macular degeneration. The 77-year-old reportedly said her eyesight has gotten so bad that she has her daughter or her agent read scripts to her, and that she cannot see the face of someone sitting across from her during dinner.

However, Dame Densch says the reports that have been published are overblown. “This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It’s something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to – and it will not lead to blindness.”

If she is not going to go blind, even though she has macular degeneration, it’s possible she has dry macular degeneration. However, like the dry macular degeneration patients across the world, blurring or a blind spot occurs in the central vision, which will make it very difficult for the actress to see. For some patients, if dry macular degeneration is not caught in time, it can become wet macular degeneration and cause blindness.

Although it’s unfortunate Densch has the degenerative eye condition, making this disease stay in the media may be important to some who have not been treated or tested yet.

If you are 65 or older, or suspect there is something wrong with your vision, find an experienced ophthalmologist to be tested for macular degeneration today.

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Daily Aspirin Use Linked to Wet Macular Degeneration

Thursday, January 12th, 2012

Seniors who use aspirin daily may be twice as likely to develop an advanced type of age-related macular degeneration, compared to seniors who use the drug less frequently.

Daily aspirin users may be more vulnerable to developing wet macular degeneration (also called “wet AMD”). Wet AMD is generally less common than the dry type. The wet form occurs when blood vessels grow behind the macula, the central region of the retina. These blood vessels can leak blood and other fluid, causing the macula to be raised out of its normal position. Wet AMD causes a rapid loss of central vision, whereas the dry type progresses in stages. Central vision is critical to your ability to drive and read, and to see objects clearly.

The European study looked at whether aspirin use causes the abnormal growth of blood vessels behind the macula. The study examined 4,700 seniors over the age of 65 for three years, between 2000 and 2003. Findings of the study included:

Daily aspirin use was associated with late-stage wet AMD, and less so to early-stage dry AMD.
For wet AMD, the association became stronger as the frequency of aspirin use increased.
Early AMD was found in about one third of the participants, and advanced AMD was found in about 3 percent. Of those individuals who had advanced AMD, more than two-thirds had the wet form, while about one-third had the dry form.
17 percent of the individuals took aspirin daily, 7 percent took the drug once a week or more, and 41 percent took aspirin once a month.
One-third of participants with wet AMD took aspirin daily.

The study suggests association, not a cause-and-effect relationship. If you are currently taking aspirin for heart disease risk, you should not discontinue use based on this study, especially without first discussing the issue with your doctor. The association between aspirin and AMD requires further research. Based on this study, doctors may consider advising against aspirin for painkiller use for people who already have AMD.

You should discuss all medication changes and medical choices with your doctor.

To learn more about macular degeneration, please find an eye doctor in your area.

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Treating Macular Degeneration

Monday, December 12th, 2011

There are several approaches that can be used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Your ophthalmologist will work closely with you to help you determine the solution most suited to meet your needs. Understanding first how AMD is treated can help you better understand what to expect during your appointment.

How AMD is Treated

Common treatments for AMD include:

Laser treatments to seal leaky blood vessels
Injections such as Lucentis and Macugen
Combinations therapy such as Visudyne/PDT

Injections may be made in the eye or through the arm. With combination therapy, injections are received in the arm and non-thermal laser treatment is applied to the eye.

Your treatment may also include lifestyle changes. Certain nutrients have been shown to slow the progression of AMD. Your ophthalmologist may recommend you supplement your diet or change your eating habits to include a wider variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains. In addition, quitting smoking can slow the progression of AMD. Your ophthalmologist will discuss all of this with you during your initial consultation.

If you are suffering from the symptoms of AMD, please use the doctor locator at eyes.com to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area to discuss your treatment options today.

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Sunglasses in the Winter?

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Many people associate sunglasses with summer. Time spent outdoors when the sun is closer seems like an ideal time to wear sunglasses to reduce glare, strain, and other discomforts. While it is important to wear sunglasses in the summertime, preventing sun damaged eyes requires diligent use of sunglasses in the winter as well.

UV Rays

In the summer, your eyes are affected by UV rays from above. In the winter, due to glare off of snow, your eyes are affected by UV rays both from above and below. In fact, it is highly possible that up to 85 percent of the UV rays hitting your eyes come from below in the winter. This makes it particularly important for outdoor enthusiasts to wear a high quality and protective pair of sunglasses at all time.

Unprotected eye can get sunburnt. Not only is this painful, it can lead to irreversible damage. In addition, sun damage has been linked to age related eye disorders such as macular degeneration and cataracts, making it important for your long-term visual health that you wear sunglasses at all times when you are outdoors.

If you would like more information on keeping your eyes as healthy as possible, please use the doctor locator at eyes.com to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

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Eylea the Latest Drug Available for AMD

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Eylea is the latest in a series of anti-VEGF drugs from the Retina Group of New York. Eylea is for patients who have the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Two clinical trials involving over 2400 adults show that Eylea is as effective as Lucentis in maintaining vision in 95% of patients. Thirty percent of patients had improved vision when taking the drug. The FDA approved Eylea on November 11, and is available to patients by the Retina Group of New York in Hicksville and Hauppauge, New York.

According to the chairman of the Retina Group of New York, Eylea offers patients with AMD the same benefits as the highly effective Lucentis, but with half the treatments at a lower cost. Patients will need to be treated every two months instead of every month, like the do with Lucentis and Avastin. This may be better for patients, since some eye specialists allegedly do not stick to the monthly treatment of the other drugs to make them effective.

AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over the age of 65. Wet form AMD is the result of blood vessels growing beneath the retina and then leaking. This can cause irreversible vision loss and blindness if not treated. Symptoms take the form of trouble reading, seeing straight-on, and looking at detailed work. Anti-VEGF drugs, like Eylea, Lucentis, and Avastin, can stabilize the vision in patients, although AMD cannot be reversed.

If you have any questions about AMD, please find an experienced eye doctor through eyes.com today.

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Cigarette Smoking and Macular Degeneration

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

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Is There Such a Thing as too Many Antioxidants?

Monday, October 24th, 2011

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Why Sunglasses Matter

Monday, October 24th, 2011

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The Effects of Smoking During Pregnancy of Infant Eyes

Friday, October 7th, 2011

Posted in Infant Eye Health, Macular Degeneration, Pink Eye, Smoking and Eyes | Comments Off

Smoking and Vision Damage

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

It is common knowledge that smoking poses serious health risks. Most notably, smoking dramatically increases your risk of respiratory conditions such as lung cancer, asthma, and emphysema. But did you also know that there is a strong link between smoking and vision damage?

When you smoke, you are introducing thousands of chemicals into your bloodstream. Many of these chemicals are harmful and can potentially damage your eyes. In fact, smoking increases your risk of two common age-related vision conditions: cataracts and macular degeneration.

Cataracts are a condition occurring when your eye’s lens becomes clouded. Studies have found that people who smoke more than 15 cigarettes a day face a three times greater risk of developing cataracts than nonsmokers. This is due to the fact that cigarette smoke increases the oxidative stress in your eye’s lens, which increases the likelihood of cataracts.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness for people over the age of 65. Smoking is the leading preventable risk factor for this condition. Cigarette smoke affects your macula, the component of your retina which provides you with sharp vision. A recent study found that approximately 25% of AMD cases were directly related to smoking.

If you smoke cigarettes, it is important to go for regular vision checkups with your ophthalmologist as you get older to make sure you catch these conditions in their early stages. The longer you wait, the greater your chances of suffering serious vision loss.

Please contact eyes.com today to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area.

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