INSTITUTE OCULAR
MARCOS

Macular Degeneration

The Age-Related Degeneration Macular to the (ARDM) is a not painful, progressive, slow illness, that affects the central vision of the eyes. It affects to the blemish, that is the zone of the retina responsible for collecting the finest vision and of more detail of the objects that look at.

Two forms exist of ARDM:

• ARDM dry, the most frequent one (90%). Al is produced to be accumulated in the yellowish color deposits blemish called drusas that go injuring slowly to the macular cells, causing visual distortion in the eye affected.
• ARDM humid (10%). It is originated when small blood vessels are formed in an abnormal way in the blemish. These glasses are very fragile and they lose blood and fluids that damage to the macular cells. It is the most serious form and can cause a total loss of the central vision.

WHAT SYMPTOMS DOES IT PRODUCE?

Initially it affects only one of the eyes, but with time the disease usually affects both.

Its symptoms are blurred central vision, difficulty in undertaking tasks requiring detailed vision (reading, sewing, driving, etc.). Straight lines are perceived as twisted, sloping or incomplete. In its latter stages, a black spot covers the entire central area of the gaze.

WHAT FACTORS GIVE RISE TO ARMD?

• Age and Sex.
  Age is the main factor for developing ARMD. The incidence of initial ARMD in people over the age of 55 is estimated to be around 10%. In the over-75 age group, the figure shoots up to around 30%. Women are more susceptible to this disease than men.
• Eating Habits.
  Macula cells are highly sensitive to molecules known as free radicals. Current research shows that people whose diet is poor in antioxidants have more risk of suffering from ARMD. Other factors that have an influence on higher free-radical levels in our organism are alcohol and foods rich in cholesterol and saturated fats.
• Smoking.
  Smoking reduces the eye's antioxidant levels and doubles the risk of suffering from ARMD.
• Sunlight.
  Macula cells are highly susceptible to being damaged by sunlight. Fair-skinned people with light-coloured eyes and those with high exposure to ultraviolet light are more at risk of ARMD.
• Other Factors.
  There are other influential factors such as inheritance, blood pressure, etc.

HOW IS IT TREATED?
 

Not a curative processing for the ARMD exists at the present moment. All the present therapeutic measures go directed to stop the advance of the illness.

In the ARMD dry is recommended to carry out frequent revisions in the ophthalmologist to detect prematurely an evolution toward the humid form. Other measures include to initiate processing with vasodilator, antioxidant medicines, etc.

In the ARMD humid the processing try to impede the advance of the illness, but rarely time they return the vision already loss. They include:

• FLUORESCENIC ANGIOGRAPHY. A contrast in vein is introduced that to arrive to eye permits us to detect the locating of the points that liquids in the blemish are fleeing.

• LASER THERAPY. Once they detected the points of leak these are a matter of sealing with laser. The objection of the laser situates in which also acts on the healthy cells that are found situated around the anomalous vain.
• FOTODINAMIC THERAPY. It is based on the introduction of an initially inactive medicine by vein that fills the anomalous veins of the blemish. Subsequently it applies the laser that active the medicine, sealing only these veins, without injuring to the adjacent healthy cells.

Currently other therapeutic alternatives they are investigating themselves, entity they the surgery triaminolona INTRAVíTREA, anecortave, lucentis, ... Of all they will receive opportune information in the INSTITUTO OCULAR MARCOS.