AMD is the abbreviation for Age-related Macular Degeneration, and it is one of the main causes of vision loss in first world countries among people age 65 and older. At this point there is no cure for AMD, and doctors still aren't completely sure what causes it. Perhaps, since we are living longer than generations before us did, our macula, which is responsible for straight-ahead, central, 20/20 detailed vision, is simply degenerating. Maybe before they were able to recognize and name this disease, it was something like this: "Grandma is really getting up in age (say 66 year old, when most ppl died around 60 years of age on average) and has now gone blind". Anyone ever hear that said about older and prior generation family members? There's a good chance that "Grandma" had AMD, there just wasn't a name for it yet.... besides "old age".
Some doctors now believe that there may be a genetic component to AMD as well, as it seems to run in families. Siblings may get AMD, and perhaps one of their parents had it too (or most likely did). Unfortunately there is currently no cure for AMD, only some treatment to arrest the progression of the disease and rehabilitation therapy skills and devices to teach patients how to "work around" and "live" with AMD, while still maintaining as much as the same quality of life before the vision loss.
Though the term "blind" is often used, generally, people who get AMD do not go completely blind (unless they have some other accompanying eye disease, such as glaucoma. Because AMD mainly affects the central 20 degrees or so of vision (which is the vision we use for reading, writing, driving, recognizing someone's facial features....) they will still have use of their peripheral vision. AMD can and often does result in legal blindness (only being able to see the "big E" on the standard Snellen eye chart, (if even that), and nothing smaller on the chart when sitting 20 feet away from it in a well lit area.
AMD can NOT be corrected with conventional eyeglasses or conventional contact lenses, as it is the degeneration or breaking down of a vital part of the retinal nerve which enables us to see centrally. The vision loss caused by AMD creates a blurry or even dark spot in the middle of your vision. For instance, if someone comes to the door and a person with AMD goes to answer the door, they may look at the person's face to see who it is, but not be able to make out the facial features enough or at all so as to identify who is standing at their door. To see an example of what someone with AMD might see when looking at a picture of two boys holding a soccer ball and a basket ball, go here: http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/examples/armd.jpg.
There are two types of AMD: Wet AMD, which the macula (at the back center of the retina, which lines the inside of the eye and goes to the back of the eye to become the Optic Nerve) has blood vessels which begin to leak blood into the center of the eyeball, which contains a clear jelly like substance. With blood leaking into that clear area, called the vitreous, it creates vision loss, and Wet AMD can occur suddenly and without warning. Often times, a patient will wake up and find that straight lines (like the door jam, or a telephone pole) appear to be "squiggly" as they see it. That is a main indicator that there is now bleeding into the eye and it is an emergency situation. If the patient can get into the Ophthalmologist right away, often the doctor can cauterize the bleeding vessels, thereby stopping the bleeding. In time the eye may be able to flush the blood out of the vitreous area, thereby clearing up the vision.
The slower, generally less aggressive form of AMD is called Dry AMD. This is the macula breaking down, and being reduced in its ability to see clearly. Often however, Dry AMD can suddenly become Wet AMD, so doctors will often have an AMD patient look at an amsler grid daily to ensure that
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Amy K. Brown MS, CLVT, CVRT
Masters of Vision Rehabilitation
Certified Low Vision Therapist
Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist
AMD is the abbreviation for Age-related Macular Degeneration, and it is one of the main causes of vision loss in first world countries among people age 65 and older. At this point there is no cure for AMD, and doctors still aren't completely sure what causes it. Perhaps, since we are living longer than generations before us did, our macula, which is responsible for straight-ahead, central, 20/20 detailed vision, is simply degenerating. Maybe before they were able to recognize and name this disease, it was something like this: "Grandma is really getting up in age (say 66 year old, when most ppl died around 60 years of age on average) and has now gone blind". Anyone ever hear that said about older and prior generation family members? There's a good chance that "Grandma" had AMD, there just wasn't a name for it yet.... besides "old age".
Some doctors now believe that there may be a genetic component to AMD as well, as it seems to run in families. Siblings may get AMD, and perhaps one of their parents had it too (or most likely did). Unfortunately there is currently no cure for AMD, only some treatment to arrest the progression of the disease and rehabilitation therapy skills and devices to teach patients how to "work around" and "live" with AMD, while still maintaining as much as the same quality of life before the vision loss.
Though the term "blind" is often used, generally, people who get AMD do not go completely blind (unless they have some other accompanying eye disease, such as glaucoma. Because AMD mainly affects the central 20 degrees or so of vision (which is the vision we use for reading, writing, driving, recognizing someone's facial features....) they will still have use of their peripheral vision. AMD can and often does result in legal blindness (only being able to see the "big E" on the standard Snellen eye chart, (if even that), and nothing smaller on the chart when sitting 20 feet away from it in a well lit area.
AMD can NOT be corrected with conventional eyeglasses or conventional contact lenses, as it is the degeneration or breaking down of a vital part of the retinal nerve which enables us to see centrally. The vision loss caused by AMD creates a blurry or even dark spot in the middle of your vision. For instance, if someone comes to the door and a person with AMD goes to answer the door, they may look at the person's face to see who it is, but not be able to make out the facial features enough or at all so as to identify who is standing at their door. To see an example of what someone with AMD might see when looking at a picture of two boys holding a soccer ball and a basket ball, go here: http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/examples/armd.jpg.
There are two types of AMD: Wet AMD, which the macula (at the back center of the retina, which lines the inside of the eye and goes to the back of the eye to become the Optic Nerve) has blood vessels which begin to leak blood into the center of the eyeball, which contains a clear jelly like substance. With blood leaking into that clear area, called the vitreous, it creates vision loss, and Wet AMD can occur suddenly and without warning. Often times, a patient will wake up and find that straight lines (like the door jam, or a telephone pole) appear to be "squiggly" as they see it. That is a main indicator that there is now bleeding into the eye and it is an emergency situation. If the patient can get into the Ophthalmologist right away, often the doctor can cauterize the bleeding vessels, thereby stopping the bleeding. In time the eye may be able to flush the blood out of the vitreous area, thereby clearing up the vision.
The slower, generally less aggressive form of AMD is called Dry AMD. This is the macula breaking down, and being reduced in its ability to see clearly. Often however, Dry AMD can suddenly become Wet AMD, so doctors will often have an AMD patient look at an amsler grid daily to ensure that
"Anonymous Coward" is now Amy Kay. :)