Dry Macular Degeneration Is The Most Common Form Of AMD
The term macular degeneration comes from the condition of the degeneration or wearing of the macula. The macula is a small area of the retina that allows the vision a person needs for tasks such as reading and driving. Anytime the macula is affected by a disease, a person will most likely suffer blurry central vision. There are two types of macular degeneration. The most common type that affects the greatest number of people is called Dry Macular Degeneration. This type of macular degeneration affects between eighty five and ninety percent of the people that develop macular degeneration.
The main characteristic of dry macular degeneration is the presence of drusen. Drusen are yellow colored deposits that form in the macula. Just having drusen present does not necessarily mean that a patient will develop macular degeneration. However, if a doctor detects the presence of drusen, he or she will consider the patient as having macular degeneration. As drusen change and increase in size and number, a patient may find that they suffer a distortion or dimming of their central vision.
It is important that if you experience any type of dimming or distortion in relation to your vision, that you see an eye care professional immediately. With the presence of these symptoms, it is very likely that you may have dry macular degeneration. There are treatments for dry macular degeneration that have had some success. Left untreated, dry macular degeneration can progress to an advanced stage. In the advanced stages of the disease, tissue death may occur which can lead to more severe problems with a person's central vision. People can experience blind spots in the center of their vision or lose their central vision.
If you have any of the risk factors for macular degeneration, you need to make sure that you visit an eye doctor for regular eye exams. For instance, if one of your parents had dry macular degeneration, you are at more of a risk of developing the disease than someone who does not have any family members that have been diagnosed with the disease. If you are a smoker, you are at a higher risk for dry macular degeneration. If you have light pigmented skin, you are also at risk. In addition, if you are over the age of fifty years old, then you are considered to be at more of a risk than those who are under fifty.
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