Macular degeneration is a devastating condition that can lead to blindness.
There are two types of macular degeneration, dry and wet.
Dry macular degeneration
Dry macular degeneration is a slowly progressive disease of the retina which causes loss of central vision. This is usually age related.
The eye is like a camera with the retina acting as the film at the back of the eye, which processes pictures and sends them to the brain.
Dry macular degeneration may cause slow and progressive damage to the film (retina) and cause central visual distortion or even blank patches in the centre of your vision. Dry macular degeneration usually does not affect your peripheral (outer) vision.
There is no cure for dry macular degeneration but some aids like stronger glasses, magnifying glasses, telescopic lenses and illuminated magnifiers may help with vision and reading etc. These are sometimes called low visual aids. Usually large print books or electronic devices (like e-readers or computers) may help in reading by enlarging the font.
You may be given an Amsler chart to look out for visual distortion and to detect development of wet macular degeneration, which is much more serious and causes more rapid visual loss. The wet macular degeneration may need injection treatment to limit some visual loss.
There is some evidence that high dose vitamin supplements may help to retard or stabilise the progression of macular degeneration. Some people may benefit from these vitamins, some may not and a few people may come to harm because of high dose vitamin supplements. If you do decide to take these vitamin supplements, please contact your GP.
Groups of people who should not take high dose vitamins are smokers, who may have a higher risk of lung cancer. There is a suggestion that diabetics and people with certain heart conditions may be at an increased risk of heart failure with high doses of vitamin E.
We recommend a balanced diet to everyone, especially green vegetables and fish to patients with dry macular degeneration.
We also advise cessation of smoking, which may benefit macular degeneration.
Please contact your optician for further assessment.
Wet macular degeneration
Wet macular degeneration can be an aggressive condition leading to severe and acute visual loss in a matter of weeks.
We try to prevent or limit visual loss by treating wet macular degeneration. We perform retinal scans and angiography, laser treatment if appropriate for the patient and intravitreal injection treatment.
We also provide support for patients with untreatable macular degeneration and low vision aids like provision of special magnifying glasses and other visual aids.
We have retinal cameras including facilities to do Fundus fluorescein angiography (dye test). We also have the latest fourth generation retinal scanners (ocular coherence tomography; OCT).
