Out of all the debilitating diseases that
can cause vision loss, Macular Degeneration is the worst one. It affects a lot
of people all over the world. In the U.S it affects more people than Glaucoma
and Cataract combined. However, this is not even the most alarming part. The
real issue is that we still don’t fully understand the disease or any of its
causes. This makes diagnosis a very hard thing until it is too late.
Macular Degeneration is of two main types –
Wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration. Most cases in the world
are reported to be that of dry macular degeneration and all cases of dry
macular degeneration start out as wet macular degeneration only.
Macular Degeneration usually affects people
who are over the age of 50. It manifests in three main stages – Early AMD (Age
related Macular Degeneration), Intermediate AMD and late AMD. In the early
stage, AMD doesn’t cause vision loss however yellow deposits below the retina
is a sign of early AMD and can only be found out through regular checkups. In
the intermediate stage, there may be some vision loss but there aren’t many
noticeable symptoms to go by therefore really intensive eye checkups are
necessary to detect it. In the third and final stage, vision loss becomes a
reality.
At this point, the most that we know about
the causes of the disease is that it is caused by a combination of hereditary
and environmental factors. There are a number of risk factors involved with
Macular Degeneration and the first and foremost among them is your age. Other
main risk factors are genetics, race or ethnicity and smoking. Smoking is known
to double the risk of developing macular degeneration.
The macular
degeneration prevention methods
are quite straightforward and they mostly deal with a change in lifestyle not
unlike the prevention measures for blood pressure or obesity. Some of the macular
degeneration preventive measures
that an individual can take are as follows –
1)
Don’t smoke.
2)
Take a multivitamin/multi
mineral supplement regularly (unless your doctor advises not to).
3)
Eat lots of fish or fish oil
capsules daily. It works wonders for your overall immunity and helps with
digestion also.
4)
Eat lots of veggies especially
the dark green variety like spinach. It helps in maintaining the hemoglobin
levels in your blood and also detoxifies the body.
5)
Exercise regularly and maintain
a healthy body weight.
6)
Reduce the intake of refined
carbohydrates. Also stop the consumption of packaged foods.
7)
Eat fruits and nuts daily.
8)
Keep your blood pressure and
cholesterol under control.
9)
Wear appropriate sunglasses to
block the U.V light from damaging your eyes.
10)
Have regular eye exams.
