Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 55 views

    Wet Macular Degeneration

    Uploaded by

    mashood azad
    Wet macular degeneration damages the central macula of the retina, causing blurry or distorted vision. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood and fluid. Risk factors include smoking, diet low in fruits and vegetables, and family history. It is treated through frequent eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs to stop blood vessel growth, and sometimes laser surgery. Patients should monitor their vision daily with an Amsler grid and see an eye doctor immediately if changes occur, as early treatment can prevent permanent vision loss.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Wet Macular Degeneration

    Uploaded by

    mashood azad
    55 views4 pages
    Wet macular degeneration damages the central macula of the retina, causing blurry or distorted vision. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood and fluid. Risk factors include smoking, diet low in fruits and vegetables, and family history. It is treated through frequent eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs to stop blood vessel growth, and sometimes laser surgery. Patients should monitor their vision daily with an Amsler grid and see an eye doctor immediately if changes occur, as early treatment can prevent permanent vision loss.

    Original Title

    WetMacularDegeneration

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Wet macular degeneration damages the central macula of the retina, causing blurry or distorted vision. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood and fluid. Risk factors include smoking, diet low in fruits and vegetables, and family history. It is treated through frequent eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs to stop blood vessel growth, and sometimes laser surgery. Patients should monitor their vision daily with an Amsler grid and see an eye doctor immediately if changes occur, as early treatment can prevent permanent vision loss.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    55 views4 pages

    Wet Macular Degeneration

    Uploaded by

    mashood azad
    Wet macular degeneration damages the central macula of the retina, causing blurry or distorted vision. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood and fluid. Risk factors include smoking, diet low in fruits and vegetables, and family history. It is treated through frequent eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs to stop blood vessel growth, and sometimes laser surgery. Patients should monitor their vision daily with an Amsler grid and see an eye doctor immediately if changes occur, as early treatment can prevent permanent vision loss.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 4

     

    Wet Macular Degeneration


    This material will help you understand wet macular degeneration and how it is
    treated.

    What is wet macular degeneration?


    Wet macular degeneration is a disease that damages the macula of the eye. The
    macula is the central part of the retina. The retina is the film in the back of the
    eye that captures the image that we see. The macula allows us to see fine
    details clearly. A damaged macula will make it difficult to thread a needle, read
    a book, or even drive. A damaged macula can cause blurry vision.
    Wet macular degeneration is the least common form of macular degeneration.
    It usually causes more damage than the dry form, but there are new treatments
    for it that can stop this vision loss.

    What causes wet macular degeneration?


    Macular degeneration occurs when the retina can no longer process the eye’s
    “garbage” well. These deposits, called drusen, accumulate underneath the retina
    in the macula. The drusen cause the macula to be bumpy instead of smooth,
    which distorts the image it captures. In the same way, an image taken by a
    camera with film that was not smooth would not produce a clear photograph.

    Wet macular degeneration occurs when too many little drusen have
    accumulated underneath the retina. The retina becomes cracked almost like an
    old sidewalk. Then, just like weeds can grow through sidewalk cracks, blood
    vessels grow up through the macula and leak and bleed in the center of your
    vision.

    Kellogg Eye Center


    Wet Macular Degeneration
    1
     
     

    Smoking cigarettes increases the risk for macular degeneration. Not eating
    enough fruits and vegetables and having macular degeneration in your family
    also increase your risk.

    How is wet macular degeneration treated?


    It is important to monitor your vision daily with your Amsler grid (see below). If
    your eyes are getting worse, you will instantly see that the central part of your
    vision in one eye has become darker or the lines on the Amsler grid have
    become wavier. This is a sign that your macular degeneration has bled. This is
    a very obvious change.

    Keep your Amsler grid where it is easy to make it part of your daily routine, like
    on the refrigerator. When you go to open the refrigerator to make your
    breakfast in the morning, check the grid. If you wear glasses, wear your glasses
    when checking the grid. Cover up one eye and stare at the black dot in the
    center of the grid. Make sure the central area of the grid does not look like the
    lines are wavy or blacked out. Do the same with the other eye. As long as the
    grid looks the same as it did in the doctor’s office and there are no new
    changes, your wet macular degeneration is stable.

    Kellogg Eye Center


    Wet Macular Degeneration
    2
     
     

    If you do notice a change on your Amsler grid, call your eye doctor’s office right
    away. Our new medications for wet macular degeneration can heal vision loss.
    They work best if you come in to the doctor to get them right away. The reason
    we want you to check your Amsler at home is so you can detect any change
    quickly. If you were to wait to come in for your next eye exam to find out if
    your macular degeneration has gotten worse, it might be too late.

    The common medications used to treat wet macular degeneration are called
    anti-VEGF (anti-vascular endothelial growth factor) medications. These
    medications cause the blood vessels that are leaking and bleeding to stop
    growing. These medications are given as injections in the eye doctor’s office.
    These injections are usually needed every month or so to keep those blood
    vessels away. It is important to come back for your check-ups and your
    injections. If you go too long without the medication, the damage from the
    macular degeneration can become permanent as the retina begins to form a
    scar.

    Sometimes, laser treatments may be used as well to treat wet macular


    degeneration.

    For more information, scan these codes with your smartphone or visit
    the websites listed.

    http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/diseases/amd.cfm

    Kellogg Eye Center


    Wet Macular Degeneration
    3
     
     

    http://www.kellogg.umich.edu/patientcare/conditions/macular.degeneration.ht
    ml

    Disclaimer: This document contains information and/or instructional materials developed by the
    University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) for the typical patient with your condition. It may include
    links to online content that was not created by UMHS and for which UMHS does not assume
    responsibility. It does not replace medical advice from your health care provider because your experience
    may differ from that of the typical patient. Talk to your health care provider if you have any questions
    about this document, your condition or your treatment plan.

    Author: Shayla Wilson, MPH candidate


    Reviewers: Gale Oren, MILS and Paula Anne Newman-Casey, MD, MS

    Patient Education by University of Michigan Health System is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-
    NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Last Revised 11/2014
     

    Kellogg Eye Center


    Wet Macular Degeneration
    4
     

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy