Overview of Age related Macular Degeneration

  • Age related Macular Degeneration
    Age-related macular degeneration (also called AMD or AMRD) is a condition that affects the central vision of a person. It can cause significant loss of central vision and affect quality of life of the person.    Age, smoking, high blood pressure and a diet high in saturated fat are key risk factors for age related macular degeneration.  
Submitted by PatientsEngage on 13 February 2022
Macular degeneration

What Is Age related Macular Degeneration

There is a population shift towards older age worldwide, and even in India around 180 million individuals are estimated to be at or above 60 years by 2026. As per the national survey conducted in India, 5% of blindness in the older population is caused by retinal diseases, of which age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD) is a common cause.
 

AMD, a condition that affects the central vision of a person, is an acquired cause of retinal degeneration. However, it is less prevalent as a cause of blindness in India as compared to the western population where it is considered the leading cause of blindness in the elderly. The rising trends and incremental costs project ARMD as a potential health care burden on Indian economy.

Contributed by Dr. Brijesh Takkar
 

CRTP Fellow, IHOPE
Consultant Ophthalmologist, Vitreo Retinal Diseases 
L V Prasad Eye Institute

Community
Dermatological (Skin) and Opthalmology (Eyes) conditions
Condition
Age related Macular Degeneration
Changed
Mon, 02/13/2023 - 22:15

Stories

  • Age Related Macular Degeneration Treatment and Management [Video]
    Age related Macular Degeneration (ARMD or AMD), a condition that affects the central vision of a person, is an acquired cause of retinal degeneration and a growing cause of blindness in the elderly. Dr. Niroj Sahoo, Consultant Opthalmologist, LV Prasad Eye Institute address the topic of Age related macular degeneration. A must for anyone interested in elder care or geriatric care. The video covers the following topics: What is Age related Macular Degeneration  Symptoms of Types of ARMD…
  • A woman in a white coat with a partially visible stethoscope covering one eye to demonstrate eye exercise
    How To Cope With Vision Loss
    Vision Rehabilitation is recommended for people with no vision or low vision, both children and adults, to enable them to live as independently as possible. Ms. Beula Christy, PhD, Head, Institute for Vision Rehabilitation L V Prasad Eye Institute explains how vision rehabilitation can be customised to suit the specific needs of the people concerned. What is Vision Rehabilitation?  Rehabilitation is an essential health service that focuses on the functioning of an individual to live as…
  • Prevention of Age related Macular Degeneration
    Can AMD Be Prevented?  The disease often has a progressive ageing related course, and preventive therapies are thus very sought after. Anti-oxidant supplementation has been shown to marginally reduce the progress of intermediate forms of disease to its advanced forms. Diet enhancement with anti-oxidants rich food is another less evaluated option. Avoid other risk factors like smoking. Control systemic diseases like hypertension and other heart conditions mentioned before to help in…
  • Management of Age related macular degeneration
    How can AMD be managed?  Regular eye-exams and follow ups are crucial. If the vision gain in therapy is not enough or low, or if therapy is not possible, persons with AMD are guided to low vision aids which improve the visual perception both for reading as well as mobility. These aids range from simple wearable glass mounted magnifying lenses to wearable camera related GPS enabled gadgets. Surgically implantable devices are also in advanced stages of investigation and are expected to find…
  • Treatment for Age related Macular Degeneration
    There is no well accepted therapy for dry form of Age related Macular Degeneration. The wet form of AMD or ARMD was earlier treated commonly with lasers or photodynamic therapy but today intraocular injections are the most successfully employed therapy. Anti-VEGF (Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) group of agents are typically utilised for this, and if injected timely, have gratifying response both in terms of vision and OCT (Optical coherence tomography) changes. The eye injection is an…
  • Diagnosis and Tests For Age related Macular Degeneration
    ​There are different tests to diagnose AMD Ocular examination This is the gold standard for diagnosis, where the ophthalmologist evaluates the retina after dilating the pupils to look for signs of dry or wet AMD or ARMD.   Optical coherence tomography (OCT)  is a very simple and useful test that is frequently employed to confirm the findings and also guide therapy. It provides the clinician an “optical biopsy”, allowing him to understand the structural damage to the individual layers…
  • Types and Stages of Age related Macular Degeneration
    Age related Macular Degeneration (AMD or ARMD) is most commonly classified as dry or wet form. The dry form passes through early and intermediate stages before reaching the advanced stages. It is characterised by deposition of drusen, which happens due to wear and tear related to ageing and reflects by products of general metabolism of the eye.  These deposits are clinical evidence of damage the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer of the retina, whose primary function is to nourish the…
  • Signs and Symptoms of Age related Macular Degeneration
    Symptoms of AMD Age related Macular Degeneration (AMD or ARMD) frequently involves both eyes. Since the degeneration predominantly involves the central retina also called as macula, the disease can result in significant symptoms. Early or less harming forms of disease result in blurring of vision for both distance and near. As the disease progresses towards stages of atrophy and scarring there can be severe loss of vision, necessitating visual aids. In advanced stages, patients often complain…
  • Causes and Risk Factors of Age related Macular Degeneration
    Risk Factors of Age-related Macular Degeneration Age is the most important risk factor for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD or ARMD). The risk increases multiple folds in age above 70 years. Other risk factors include smoking, genetic susceptibility and family history. Cardiac illness and hypertension are also considered as important risk factors of Age related Macular Degeneration. Contributed by  Dr Brijesh Takkar CRTP Fellow, IHOPE Consultant Ophthalmologist, Vitreo Retinal…
  • Macular degeneration
    Overview of Age related Macular Degeneration
    What Is Age related Macular Degeneration There is a population shift towards older age worldwide, and even in India around 180 million individuals are estimated to be at or above 60 years by 2026. As per the national survey conducted in India, 5% of blindness in the older population is caused by retinal diseases, of which age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD) is a common cause.   AMD, a condition that affects the central vision of a person, is an acquired cause of retinal…