Changes to your eyesight are normal with age. You may be less able to see up close without reading glasses. It may take your eyes longer to adjust to changing light levels. These problems can usually be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or improved lighting. But some changes can be a sign of disease.
A condition called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the leading cause of vision loss in older adults in the U.S. It’s caused by light-sensing tissue in the back of your eye, or retina, deteriorating.
The deterioration happens in the center of the retina, called the macula. In advanced stages, AMD can make it hard to see things clearly when you look straight ahead. You may not be able to recognize faces, read, drive, or do certain household tasks independently.
You’re more likely to have AMD at age 55 and older. Smoking, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure increase your risk for AMD. So does having a family history of the disease.
There are two types of AMD. Dry AMD, also called atrophic AMD, is more common. This condition progresses through several stages. Early AMD has no symptoms.
In intermediate AMD, you might notice mild blurriness or have trouble seeing in low light. Late AMD usually causes a blurry area or blank spots in or near the center of your vision. Colors may appear faded.
The other type is called neovascular, or wet, AMD. It can cause fast vision loss if not treated promptly. In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye. These can bleed and leak fluid that damages the macula. A telltale sign is when straight lines appear wavy or crooked. Dry AMD can also turn into wet AMD.
It can take years for AMD to progress. When you detect it early, you can take steps to delay its progress.
An eye doctor can detect AMD using a dilated eye exam. In the exam, they dilate (or widen) your pupils using special eye drops. This allows them to see inside your eyes. They may also take pictures of the inside of your eye using a technique called optical coherence tomography.
If you are diagnosed with AMD, there are several things you can do to slow its progression. “For those early and intermediate stages, it’s all about a healthy lifestyle,” says Dr. Tiarnán Keenan, an ophthalmologist at NIH.
This includes eating a healthy diet, getting enough physical activity, and not smoking. A healthy lifestyle may also lower your chances of getting AMD in the first place. See the Wise Choices box for tips.
Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first two drugs for treating late dry AMD. Both were developed based on NIH-funded research. The drugs can slow the progression of dry AMD, but not stop or reverse it.
The most common treatments for wet AMD involve a doctor injecting medicines called anti-VEGF drugs into your eye. These help stop bleeding and fluid leakage from the abnormal blood vessels.
NIH-funded researchers have been looking into other ways to delay the progression of AMD. Studies have shown that special dietary supplements called AREDS2 can slow the progression from intermediate to wet AMD.
NIH researchers are also exploring using stem cell transplants to preserve the macula. They can take cells from a patient’s blood and turn them into stem cells.
“In the lab, scientists can grow more of the cells. Then, they can transplant those cells into the eye of individuals with AMD,” Keenan explains. A clinical trial is currently studying this treatment and recruiting participants.
If you care about eye health, please read studies about how vitamin B may help fight vision loss, and MIND diet may reduce risk of vision loss disease.
For more information about eye disease, please see recent studies about how to protect your eyes from glaucoma, and results showing this eye surgery may reduce dementia risk.
Source: NIH.
