Last month, I introduced the two types of age-related macular degeneration (AMD): the dry form and the wet form. Did you know from the time you read the last article until now, your dry AMD could have turned to the wet AMD without you even knowing it?
AMD is not painful, and this may allow it to go unnoticed for some time. Although changes in your vision (such as distorted objects, straight lines appearing wavy, parts of lines appearing blank, or black spots in your central vision) are a common first sign, this is not always the case.
Sometimes you are unaware of changes in your vision, or you think it may not be that bad. The wet AMD can happen very quickly, often robbing a person of their central vision.
There are three main layers of tissue in the back part of the eye: starting from the inside of the eye and going towards the back, they are the retina, which contains the vision nerves; the choroid, which contains the blood vessels that abnormally grow in wet AMD; and the sclera, which is the white of the eye.
The macula is the central area of the retina, which provides the most detailed central vision. If leaking or oozing of the abnormal blood vessels occurs in the macula and is not treated appropriately and quickly, scarring in the macula can occur, resulting in irreversible damages to vision.
The treatment mainly includes injection of medicines, which is highly effective, and sometimes lasers. The treatments target the abnormal blood vessels in the macula, stop the leakage and restore vision.
In our offices, we provide state-of-the-art testing and have the latest treatment options that can be performed immediately. Therefore, thorough eye examinations including the retina are your first chance at keeping your eyes healthy, and saving your sight.
The results of the thorough exams will be explained to you and your family in detail, and the options of management will be offered. We will also help you if you have financial hardship in many ways.
Let us help you see better. Call us at Court House Eye Care, 315 Route 9, Suite 1, today to schedule an appointment. We have weekday, weekend, and evening appointments available.
The phone number for our Linwood office is 609-927-2020, and for Cape May Court House is 609-465-0100.
—By Dr. JUN HUANG, MD, PhD
