Are you over 50 years old and are worried that you only have side vision but not your central vision? Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), also known as Macular Degeneration (MD), is a common disease that is the leading cause of blindness in the western world for those 50 years and older. Age-Related Macular Degeneration makes it harder to do daily activities due to the loss of central vision, such as drive, read, or even see people’s faces. As you can imagine, the quality of life lost due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration is truly priceless.
There are two different types of Age-Related Macular Degeneration, and they are either ‘wet’ or ‘dry’. Either way, your eye specialist will test your eyes to determine the best treatment for you. These tests are:
1) Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) – this non-invasive technique allows for high quality resolution images of your retina which allows for greater observation of any leakage and/or swelling of your eyes. This standard procedure initially diagnoses and monitors ‘Wet’ Age-Related Macular Degeneration activity.
2) Fluorescein Angiogram (FFA) – photographs the back of your eye to diagnose if you do have Age-Related Macular Degeneration and also allows for the planning of your treatment if required. This test only takes a few minutes to complete.
Once the tests have been completed, your Ophthalmologist will help to treat your Age-Related Macular Degeneration using a variety of methods. This may include injections, recommending a diet to improve your eye health, or using lasers to improve your vision.