Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss, affecting around 11 million adults in the United States. The expert optometrists and ophthalmologists at Eye Care & Surgery specialize in diagnosing both types of AMD and providing treatments to help slow its progression and preserve your vision. We offer services at three convenient locations: in Washington Heights, Manhattan; near the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, directly across from Yankee Stadium; and in New Rochelle, just minutes from downtown and near New Rochelle High School. Schedule your consultation today by booking online or calling your nearest Eye Care & Surgery office for help with age-related macular degeneration.
Age-related macular degeneration is a condition that occurs when the macula — the part of your retina that's largely responsible for central vision, color vision, and detailed images — starts to break down. There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration, dry and wet.
The dry form of the disease is by far the most common, making up 90% of all cases. If you have dry age-related macular degeneration, your macula cells are steadily breaking down.
In the initial stages of dry age-related macular degeneration, you might not have any symptoms. However, it's a progressive disease, and eventually, vision problems begin in the mid-to-late stages.
Symptoms of dry age-related macular degeneration can include:
The wet form of the disease is the most serious. Dry age-related macular degeneration can turn into the wet form of the disease over time. The wet version of age-related macular degeneration always starts as the dry version.
In wet age-related macular degeneration, new abnormal blood vessels develop in your eye and then start leaking. Symptoms appear suddenly, and can include:
If you suspect either type of age-related macular degeneration, get expert help from the Eye Care & Surgery team now.
The Eye Care & Surgery team uses a variety of sophisticated tools to diagnose age-related macular degeneration. A dilated eye exam is always the first step, and testing might include fundoscopy and fundus photography to examine your retina under high magnification.
If your eye doctor suspects wet age-related macular degeneration, they may inject a special dye intravenously in your arm, which highlights abnormal blood vessels in photographs.
Although there's not a cure, you can delay the disease progression with your eye doctor's help. A high-dose blend of antioxidants, along with specific vitamins and minerals, can enhance eye health and might prevent the dry form of the disease from progressing.
Wet age-related macular degeneration treatment typically involves inner-eye injections that prevent abnormal blood vessel growth. These anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections can be quite effective in delaying the progression of the disease. In some cases, anti-VEGF injections may even give you moderate vision gains.
Another option for wet age-related macular degeneration treatment is photodynamic therapy, which combines laser light and medication to destroy abnormal blood vessels.
Your Eye Care & Surgery care provider is here to help you keep your sight, so book online or call the Eye Care & Surgery office nearest you for age-related macular degeneration help now.