What Treatments Are Available For Wet Amd?
Macular degeneration is a disease that affects millions of people. Your risk factors for the disease are higher if you are a white smoker who is over fifty and has a close family member who has been diagnosed with macular degeneration. However, this does not mean that people that do not have these risk factors are immune. There are two types of macular degeneration. There is age related wet macular degeneration, also known as Wet AMD, and age related dry macular degeneration.
The information in this article will focus solely on the disease classified as wet macular degeneration or Wet AMD. Wet macular degeneration only occurs in about ten to fifteen percent of the population who suffer from the disease. Wet AMD is considered to be the most aggressive form of the disease. It can rapidly rob a person of his or her central vision. Wet AMD will not result in total and complete blindness, however it does cause a distinct blurring of the central vision, which greatly deteriorates the sufferer's eyesight. Peripheral vision has not shown to be affected, so it is possible for a person with Wet AMD to see out of the corner of his or her eye. There are treatments available for Wet AMD sufferers.
A person who is suffering from macular degeneration, in particular, Wet AMD, experiences the abnormal condition of the blood vessels in the eye leaking blood. One way to stop the blood vessels in the eye from leaking is to have an eye doctor perform laser surgery. Laser surgery can seal off the leaking blood vessels and stop their further growth. It is important to know that this form of treating Wet AMD may need to be repeated, as about half of the people who receive this treatment require another subsequent treatment.
Photodynamic therapy is also another option for treating Wet AMD. A process using dye and a cold laser is used to treat the disease. This type of therapy is different from laser surgery in that it does not destroy any of the living cells that are next to the affected area. For certain patients, this treatment has been quite effective. If you have been diagnosed with Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration or Wet AMD, it will be important for you to have the support of your friends and family members. The loss of one's central vision can be a scary and disorienting experience that need not be suffered alone. Encourage your friends and family members to educate themselves about the disease. Also encourage them to ask you questions about the disease, or accompany you to your doctor's appointments for support.
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