All about Dry Macular DegenerationIf you had to pick one, you want Dry Macular Degeneration. This is the more benign type that can have minimal effect on your vision. A thorough eye examination by your Optometrist will quickly tell you whether you have any form of MD.
Both forms of MD begin in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium, or RPE, a layer of cells underneath the retina. The RPE is responsible for passing nutrients up to the retina and moving waste products down to the blood vessels underneath. MD occurs when this process breaks down and waste products from the retina build up underneath the RPE. These deposits, known as ‘drusen’, are easily seen by your Optometrist during a thorough eye examination. In the early stages of MD, when drusen first appear, you may not realise anything is wrong and you may still have normal vision. That is the best time to detect the disease. As the drusen multiply, they cause the retina to become lumpy. This distorts your vision, just as a lumpy mirror would distort your reflection. Just how much distortion you see varies a lot person to person. There is no cure for MD. There is no specific dry macular degeneration treatment. Unfortunately, we can't give you back retinal function that has been permanently lost. The age-old adage is true - Prevention is better than cure.
So if it can't be cured, why do we worry?..... Because dry MD can turn into Wet MD at any time. Between visits to your Optometrist, you should monitor your vision every day by looking at an Amsler Grid. The grid gives you a reference point to be able to detect any changes in the level of distortion that you see. If you see a change, you need to call your Optometrist immediately. Prompt action may be the difference between keeping your sight or losing it. Read more about Wet MD, its symptoms and treatments:
Back from Dry Macular Degeneration to Macular Degeneration Cure Proudly brought to you by: High Sight Optometry Shop 3, 326 Pennant Hills Rd Carlingford NSW 2118 Sydney Australia Caring for the Sight of Carlingford, North Rocks, Oatlands, Dundas, Telopea, North Parramatta, Northmead, Epping, Beecroft, Eastwood, Parramatta, the Hills District of Sydney.
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