Search results for: “Macular degeneration”
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Americans with Disabilities Act and Macular Degeneration
Legal Protection Patients diagnosed with macular degeneration may be protected by the ADA from the time of diagnosis regardless of the severity of their vision impairment. By Maryrita Dobiel, Esq The Americans with Disabilities Act PUBLIC LAW 101-336 JULY 26, 1990 Introduction Barriers to employment, transportation, public accommodations, public services, and telecommunications have imposed staggering…
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Macular Degeneration Symptoms
Age-related Macular Degeneration is often detected in an eye exam, before the symptoms become noticeable. In early AMD, tiny drusen or waste deposits can be seen on the surface of the retina. The macula itself sometimes shows a change in its color (pigment). In many people, the disease does not progress beyond this condition. If…
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Medication Cautions in Macular Degeneration
No summary can take the place of careful discussions with your health care professionals. Few patients consider visual symptoms as being related to their medicine. However, when you realize that your eyes are really just an extension of your brain, an organ which is extremely sensitive to many drugs, it is not surprising that vision…
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Ultra-violet and Blue Light Aggravate Macular Degeneration
Harmful Effects of Ultra-violet and Blue Light Ultra-violet light is that portion of the spectrum of invisible light below 286nm to 400nm, and is generally understood to be harmful to the eye, possibly leading to cataracts and other eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Retinal damage is the most important hazard from light. The…
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Risk Factors for Macular Degeneration
While the causes of age-related macular degeneration are complex, several of the risk factors are controllable. Smoking, being overweight overall and around the abdomen, and having unchecked cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure all increase a person’s risk for AMD. Long-term exposure to the sun without eye protection is, similarly, a risk factor. Some risk factors in AMD…
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Wet Macular Degeneration
Approximately 10-15% of the cases of macular degeneration are the “wet” (exudative) type, sometimes also referred to at neovascular macular degeneration or nAMD. In the “wet” type of macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels (known as choroidal neovascularization or CNV) grow under the retina and macula. These new blood vessels may then bleed and leak fluid,…
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Dry Macular Degeneration
In the “dry” (atrophic) type of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), deterioration of the retina is associated with the formation of small yellow deposits, known as drusen, under the macula, as shown in the illustration below. This phenomenon leads to a thinning and drying out of the macula, causing the macula to lose its function (4). The amount…
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Wet vs Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
“Dry” Age-Related Macular Degeneration About 90 percent of all people with Age-related Macular Degeneration have “dry” AMD, a condition in which layers of the macula (including the photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium) get progressively thinner, functioning less and less as they do. This is called atrophy. In the early stage of dry AMD, the…
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What is Macular Degeneration?
Macular Degeneration, also known as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in adults over 60, affecting nearly 20 million Americans. The risk of developing AMD increases with age. If you are 75 or older, your risk is 1 in 3. There is also a juvenile form of macular degeneration…
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About The American Macular Degeneration Foundation (AMDF)
The American Macular Degeneration Foundation is a non-profit organization committed to the prevention, treatment, and cure of macular degeneration, and empowering those with AMD to live to the fullest. The AMDF offers hope and support to those with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and their families. We raise public awareness of the disease while supporting a…