Age & Wet Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among older Americans. The disease can be diagnosed as either vascular (dry) or neovascular (wet) macular degeneration. About 10 to 15 percent of all macular degeneration cases are neovascular.

Wet Macular Degeneration

• Wet macular degeneration means that abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the macula (a part of the eye near the center of the retina) and underneath the retina itself. This causes the macula to bulge, distorting the vision.

Risk Factors

• According to Medicinenet.com, people over 60 are at greater risk of developing macular degeneration than people in other age groups.

Symptoms

• Macular degeneration is painless. The most evident symptom of wet macular degeneration is that straight lines or objects look crooked. Blind spots may also appear in the central vision.

Diagnosis

• An eye doctor can diagnose macular degeneration by having the patient look at an Amsler grid, which is a pattern of straight lines. The doctor may suspect wet macular degeneration if the patient sees the lines as wavy rather than straight.

Treatment

• Laser treatments are often used to seal the leaking blood vessels. This treatment cannot cure the disease, but it can slow the rate of vision loss.