OMNI EYE CENTERS

Macular Degeneration

The retina has many distinct areas that help process visual information. Located in the central area of the retina, the macula is considered to be the visual "sweet spot." The macula allows you to focus on someone's face, read a magazine article, or study a picture. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), in its wet form, involves the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina. Visual changes include:

Words on a page look blurred

Dark or empty area in the center of vision

Straight lines look distorted

Macular Degeneration Self-Test (Amsler Grid)

This very simple test can quickly tell you if you have visually significant disease in the macula:
Cover one eye.
Stare at the center dot, through your reading glasses, if you have them.
While concentrating at the central dot, notice the surrounding grid. ALL THE LINES SHOULD BE STRAIGHT.
If some of the lines are wavy and crooked, you may have macular degeneration.   The picture below, is an example of how things might appear to a patient with disease in the macular.

Unfortunately, if all the lines are straight, you still may have a mild form of macular degeneration; that is, a negative result on this test does not guarantee that your maculas are normal. The only way to find out if your maculas are normal is by having an examination through dilated pupils.

Macular Degeneration Treatment

If your doctor has concerns about any of your macular degeneration findings, they may ask for additional testing. OMNI may assist your doctor in special testing that can aid in carefully monitor for the progression of macular degeneration. The type of treatment for wet macular degeneration depends on the location, size and other characteristics of the abnormal blood vessels. Possible therapies include:

Vitamin therapy (for dry macular degeneration) - Anti-oxidants and zinc may reduce the risk of progression from dry to wet macular degeneration in many patients.

Vitamins and Eye Health: Should I take them?
There appears to be ample evidence that vitamins actually do help to PREVENT the more severe forms of Macular Degeneration.
In a nutshell, the Age-Related Eye Disease Study by the National Institutes of Health has recently shown that high dose antioxidants slowed the progression of Macular Degeneration in patients with moderate to severe forms of the disease.
The study also showed that patients with mild forms of the disease had no benefit from vitamin therapy. Furthermore, the study showed that the rate of progression of cataracts was not affected by vitamin therapy.
Specifically, patients consumed a brew of vitamins that included
                vitamin C (500 mg),
                vitamin E (400 IU),
                beta-carotene (15 mg),
                zinc oxide (80 mg), and
                cupric oxide (2mg)
and this is available as "Ocuvite PreserVision"

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) - Visudyne®, a light-sensitive medication, is injected into blood vessels in the patient's arm and travels to the abnormal blood vessels in the macula. A "cold" laser is used to activate the Visudyne® in the eyes and stop or minimize the progression of the abnormal vessels. Multiple treatments are often necessary.

Laser surgery - Depending on the location of the abnormal blood vessels, a thermal laser may be the treatment of choice.

Intraocular Injectable Medications – Several injectable medications are currently available and may be discussed as part of your treatment. These medications are designed to stop the actual growth of the abnormal blood vessels. Over the next few years, more effective versions are expected to be approved by the FDA.