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Retinal dystrophy, wet form. Macular degeneration of the retina: what is it, dry and wet forms

Symptoms of macular degeneration may vary slightly depending on the type of this disease. But, in general, the symptoms are the same. A person with this disease will:

  • note deterioration central vision(moreover, it can appear either suddenly or gradually),
  • see dark spot, or other blurred lines,
  • do not feel any painful sensations,
  • note difficulties in eye accommodation (especially in the dark),
  • react irritably to bright light,
  • difficult to read and write.

The video shows a description of the disease:

If you have several of the above symptoms, you need to go to the hospital and prevent the disease from developing. On late stages, the patient may not be able to distinguish people’s faces and even see hallucinations.

Causes

The most main reason occurrence of macular degeneration - age-related degenerative changes retina. People over 60 years of age are especially at risk. But age is not the only factor causing this disease.

Macular degeneration may also appear:

  • in smokers,
  • in people who are obese
  • in people with very light skin,
  • due to gene mutations,
  • as a result of genetic predisposition,
  • in people with cardiovascular diseases.

Of all the above factors, smoking is the most significant in the occurrence of the disease. If you quit smoking, the risk of developing the disease will decrease by 2 times.

Species

There are two main types of retinal macular degeneration: exudative “wet” and non-exudative “dry” forms.

"Dry"

This is the most common form of the disease, as it occurs in 85-90% of all cases. Arises this pathology, due to thinning of the macula, due to age-related changes.

Dry macular degeneration

Usually, only one eye is affected. But, if the disease is not treated in pathological process the other eye is also involved.

One of the main symptoms of “dry” retinal macular degeneration is the presence of drusen. Drusen are a yellow hyaline mass deposited on the retina of the eye. The presence of this substance can be determined by an ophthalmologist using comprehensive survey fundus.

An increase in the number of drusen indicates the progression of the disease. Most often, this happens in the later stages of the “dry” form.

There are 3 forms of development of non-exudative macular degeneration.

  1. Initial stage. At this stage, the person will not feel any signs of vision deterioration, but the retina may show small quantity little friends
  2. Intermediate stage. During this period, the patient may already complain about the lack of lighting when reading and sewing. A person may also experience a “blurry” spot in the center of vision.
  3. Late stage. With an advanced form of the disease, the spot begins to increase in size and the patient becomes increasingly blind. This process is associated with the destruction of rods and cones in the retina.

"Wet"

This type of macular degeneration of the retina is more dangerous, since blindness develops over a sufficient period of time. fast time. The exudative form of the disease is characterized by the fact that abnormal blood vessels begin to grow behind the retina, which allow blood to pass through and eye fluid to the macula, resulting in damage to photosensitive cells.

Wet macular degeneration

The main symptom of “wet” macular degeneration is the appearance of a “cloudy” spot in the central part of the visual field, while maintaining peripheral vision. But over time, the patient sees worse and worse, and the ability to distinguish the shapes, structure and colors of objects is lost. But what clouding of the eye lens looks like, and how treatment occurs, is indicated

Exudative macular degeneration occurs:

  • hidden (with minimal visual impairment),
  • classical (faster leading to loss of central vision, as it is associated with an increase in the number blood vessels and tissue scarring).

If you have the first symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible, since the full development of the disease occurs in 1.5-2 years.

There is another classification of macular degeneration:

  1. Primary form. Develops against the background of age-related changes in the retina.
  2. Secondary form. Characterized by the development of existing pathologies or other eye diseases.

How to treat correctly

If the disease has already begun to progress, then it becomes impossible to cure it completely. But, with timely consultation with a doctor, vision loss can be stopped.

Quite often, to treat the disease, doctors offer a photodynamic method, which inhibits the growth of new blood vessels.

The video shows the treatment of the disease:

Also, patients are prescribed:

  • retinoprotective drugs,
  • antioxidants,
  • vitamins,
  • vasoconstrictors,
  • angiogenesis inhibitors.

Nutrition has a huge impact on the quality of treatment. The diet must include grains and legumes, chickpeas, fruits, vegetables and herbs.

It will also be useful to learn about how it happens and what the main reasons are.

Traditional methods and means of treatment

You can maintain your eye health by alternative medicine. These remedies will also not cure the disease completely, but they will help maintain it at a certain level and improve the patient’s condition.

Recipe No. 1 for the treatment of the age-related form of the disease

Main ingredient this tool- oatmeal. You should soak the oats overnight, drain the water in the morning and add 3 liters of new water.

The resulting mixture should be placed on low heat (20-25 minutes). Next, you need to cool the broth and drink it 5 times a day, a glass. Within 2 weeks, patients will feel relief.

Recipe No. 2

One more known effective method treatment of macular degeneration - pine infusion. For preparation you will need young pine needles. They need to be boiled in water and left to brew overnight. You need to take 50 g of the product before each meal.

Recipe No. 3

To prepare the infusion, you will need to mix 4 tbsp. nettle and 1 tbsp lily of the valley leaves. Next, you need to fill the mixture with water and let it sit overnight. In the morning you need to add half a teaspoon of soda to the infusion.

The resulting product should be used as an eye lotion 2 times a day (morning and evening).

Recipe No. 4

You can make your own eye drops. To prepare them you will need mumiyo and aloe juice. Mumiyo needs to be dissolved in the juice of the plant, the mixture must be made into a homogeneous consistency and placed in the refrigerator. The drops should be used morning and evening, instilling one drop at a time.

Recipe No. 5

There is another one effective way treatment of macular degeneration. To prepare the drops you will need real, fresh goat milk. It must be mixed in a 1:1 ratio with water. The drops also need to be instilled 2 times a day. After instillation, you need to put a dark cloth over your closed eyes and lie in a relaxed state for about half an hour.

Prevention

To prevent macular degeneration of the retina, you should adhere to certain rules:

  • Wear sunglasses, protect your eyes from ultraviolet radiation,
  • Eat right
  • Monitor blood pressure (avoid its strong increase),
  • Visit an ophthalmologist once a year.
  • Quit smoking.
  • Take a vitamin complex once every six months.

But what to do when a hemorrhage occurs in the retina of the eye, and what means should be used to avoid such a problem, is indicated

On video - disease prevention:

Macular degeneration of the retina is a dangerous and incurable disease, but you should not despair, because with good care, proper treatment you can “slow down” further development diseases.

Great attention should be paid to the prevention of macular degeneration, since with its help it is possible to prevent the occurrence of the disease altogether. Find out about the treatment of retinal detachment at.

As we remember, the macula or macula is the visual center of the retina - the place where light-sensitive receptors are concentrated, giving the clearest image. We probably already understand it ourselves. that some degenerative processes in the eye are inevitable. And that they come precisely with age, regardless of any other diseases. They are a matter of physical wear and tear of the eye. The question is that he honestly did his job for dozens of years in a row. That is, it worked much more than any, even the most advanced artificial mechanism. After all, let’s agree, not a single one will work for 50 or more years in a row, and even without a single breakdown. washing machine, TV, car...

Causes of macular degeneration

Moderate macular degeneration means, in essence, that the retina has simply worn out. However, this problem also occurs in another variant - when light-sensitive receptors die off in greater numbers than usual and faster than would normally be expected. Retinal wear can, of course, be stimulated - for example, by the habit of looking for a long time at the sun or other blindingly bright objects without sunglasses. And also to sources of various radiation - infrared (white-hot objects), ionizing (the so-called fuel rods - uranium and other rods that make up the fuel for the reactor), etc. Macular degeneration itself can be a symptom - for example, with retinal cancer, diabetic retinopathy, metastasis into the retina of tumors of a different location. But at any speed of development, it is, of course, better to try to contain the process, because the disease is by no means a gift.

Symptoms and signs of macular degeneration

Alas, any pathology of the retina is especially bad because it has not yet been replaced by anything - neither a prosthesis, nor a transplant... So when the retina stops perceiving and transmitting images to optic nerve, this form of blindness is irreversible - this is why glaucoma is so dangerous. Glasses or lenses, of course, won’t help here either. In the early stages, macular degeneration is easily confused with an accommodation disorder - at least subjectively. With its onset, our vision loses clarity - the objects we look at lose the definition of their contours, and many of their small details are smoothed out. The decrease in visual acuity is especially noticeable in low or poor lighting. Alert us to in this case It should be that the focusing of the lens is always disrupted in favor of only one distance to the object - near or far. That is, we will become increasingly worse at distinguishing some objects, but we will definitely see others better. With macular degeneration, the distance to the object of vision will lose all meaning. That is, vision near and far will be equally poor, although improving the illumination of an object will noticeably add capabilities to our eyes.

Macular degeneration is also different from astigmatism, although, to be honest, it is even more similar to it than to presbyopia with myopia. Firstly, both congenital and once acquired “defocus” does not progress over the years. It can only be supplemented by myopia or farsightedness. Therefore, if the clarity of the contours, even in eyes that do not differ in the ideal of vision, decreases, we no longer have astigmatism - not only that. Secondly, the very logic of macular degeneration is such that astigmatism helps to slow it down, not speed it up. After all, receptors visual center, which are hit by a more diffuse beam of light than usual, and should be “burned out” more slowly. In other words, vision in an eye that sees blurred from birth should not decrease towards even greater “dispersal”. This is only normal if one near or one far visibility is reduced.

As the disease progresses, we will begin to notice an amazing phenomenon: everything we try to see with direct vision will become blurry.

Then in the “straight ahead” field a dark spot will appear, behind which nothing at all will be visible. However peripheral vision(at the edges of the iris) will be preserved almost perfectly. Figuratively speaking, with a direct glance we will cease to distinguish even the facial features of a well-known person. And as a result, we can easily stop recognizing close friends and relatives... But if their faces are visible to us in the field of peripheral vision (a person approaches us from the side), all difficulties will disappear. We will even be able to thread the thread through the eye of the needle without any problems if we rub it straight in front of us and move it to the right or left until it is optimally visible.

Indeed, failure of the receptors of the visual center usually does not mean failure of those who were not at all overloaded with work during their lives. As we see, other manifestations of macular degeneration are the direct opposite of glaucoma, in which it is the lateral vision that first fails.

Macular degeneration is a generally painless pathology, but it has two forms with slightly different manifestations, including in terms of the level of discomfort. For example, dry macular degeneration is manifested simply by a failure of the center of vision - a black spot where we are used to “finding” objects that we look at directly. Apart from this maddening blindness right in the center of the eye, it does not show any manifestations - except perhaps in the process of formation, but we described its signs above.

Wet macular degeneration looks somewhat different, because while it is forming, the patient’s retina, due to certain inherent features, acquires increased sensitivity To

to the world Then patients usually see not a dark, but, on the contrary, a rather bright spot, which, of course, obscures their visibility and does not allow them to see anything behind this “light source”. Over time, it will darken - when the last photoreceptors “burn out”. But before that, the patient will have to expect a long (from six months to several years) period of frequent tearing (that’s why it’s wet) combined with signs of photophobia.

We know these signs by heart and without pathologies. They appear every time we glance at a dazzlingly bright object (sun, illuminated snow), without protecting our eyes with anything. And of course, they get worse when we have inflammation of one of the eye membranes - for example, the same conjunctivitis. In such cases, a flash of bright light causes a flash of sharp, painful pain in the eye, our eyelids reflexively close, and several tears appear from under them. The same phenomena are observed with wet macular degeneration. They are simply significantly smoothed out, moderate, growing gradually and only then to fade away just as gradually, turning into blindness in the center of vision. At the same time, pain and lacrimation associated with them appear only during daylight hours, subsiding at dusk, at night, during the period when we close our eyes to give them a rest.

Treatment of macular degeneration

Unfortunately, we have already named the main method of treating it - it does not exist. You can only try to slow down the course of macular degeneration, but keep in mind that this is extremely rarely possible. It is believed that this disease has a clear tendency to be inherited - in any case, the timing of its onset and progression is precisely encoded at the gene level.

However, it must be said that macular degeneration is a relative catastrophe, not an absolute one. It does not end in complete blindness, keeping peripheral vision intact. Another thing is that full vision the result, of course, cannot be called. In the end, the clarity of the viewing angle, the features of the rendering of details and colors in the peripheral vision are sometimes noticeably different from those in the main one. And the very fact of being able to see only what comes into view on the right or left cannot help but make you sad. Simply, consoling us, the ophthalmologist states the fact that we will not go completely blind. And, having mastered the technique of vision in new conditions, we will be able to live further, even without resorting to the usual “tricks” for the blind.

First of all, if there is hereditary predisposition(there have already been cases of macular degeneration among blood relatives) we should never in our lives forget about the vitamins that are extremely important for the retina - carotene and retinol. Both of them are found in carrots - and fresh ones. These vitamins are especially actively consumed by skin cells that produce melanin, the tanning pigment. And the retina, which, let us recall, contains cells of a similar type. These cells form its light-sensitive receptors...

Further, we believe there is no need to explain the idea. A deficiency of carotene and/or retinol is manifested by a decrease in visual acuity both in light and in the dark, photophobia, and irreparable dry skin - especially in winter, in cold weather. So, their shortage should not be allowed not only beautiful women those who care about the health of their skin, but also those who have reason to fear problems with retina. It must be remembered that carotene and its chemical progenitor retinol belong to fat-soluble vitamins. Therefore, at least the most tasty option fresh juice with them is carrot-apple, it’s better not to forget to add cream and olive oil to it. They dissolve equally well in vegetable and animal fat, so we can eat carrot salad with any desired dressing - sour cream, the same olive oil, cream, yogurt.

But this is only prevention. Started in a timely manner, it will to a certain extent slow down the process of retinal destruction and delay the onset of its already very noticeable stage. Neither super-lucky heredity nor any proactive measure can prevent macular degeneration or guarantee us against it. As for the modest capabilities of medicine in terms of slowing down the process, it can try to do this, but only under certain conditions.

The fact is that age-related macular degeneration often occurs in the presence of severe degeneration of the retinal blood vessels - like diabetic retinopathy, only without diabetes. She also has other scenarios - when circulatory system everything is fine, but there are fewer and fewer photosensitive receptors in the macula. Therefore, to say that macular degeneration is triggered only by a failure of the circulatory system is incorrect - it would be too simple.

In any case, if similar phenomena are present or, on the contrary, everything is fine with the blood supply to the retina, the doctor may suggest that we try two different technical point vision procedures performed with one instrument - a laser. The first is called threshold or low-intensity laser coagulation. And it is indicated in cases of unexplained death of photoreceptors. That is, when everything is in order with the circulatory system of the retina. At the same time laser beam destroys already non-functional retinal cells in order to clear it of them faster and more thoroughly than occurs naturally.

Threshold laser therapy carried out to stimulate the growth of new cells, which, as practice shows, are often healthy. And after appearing, they begin to fulfill their “responsibilities” in full. As we can see, the procedure really has a chance of success only in one case - if, objectively, according to all biological indicators, healthy, young cells can grow on the retina. And this is possible only if studies have shown the full norm of its blood supply.

The second procedure is called laser photocoagulation, and it is intended to stabilize the functioning of the retinal circulatory system. In other words, it is used in cases where the patient has anomalies in the structure or patency of the retinal vascular network, or structural abnormalities in their walls. This procedure is best known to patients diabetes mellitus. With it, a laser beam “passes” through areas of capillaries that are unable to perform their work, threatening the retina with hemorrhages and God knows what else. Naturally, these areas are simply burned out without bleeding or destruction of the surrounding tissues. The laser is very hot - the temperature of its beam causes the blood that is ready to flow to instantly clot. In addition, unlike a soldering iron (the principle of operation, we agree, is similar) it is very accurate. That is, only the affected, long-inactive areas of the vessel are subject to destruction, and with an accuracy of a few cells.

Of course, sections of the capillary network designated as “candidates for burning out” are removed and not restored. This means that blood supply to this area of ​​the retina does not seem to improve - it simply prevents possible complications. Perhaps this method of treatment will surprise us - what kind of treatment is it?.. In fact, according to the same principle, and with great success, they treat varicose veins veins in the legs.

The fact is that the circulatory system is uniform throughout its entire length. And the quality of work of its individual sections fundamentally affects the quality of work of adjacent sections. To put it even more simply, a problem with blood flow that arises in one place largely accelerates (or even directly provokes) the appearance of exactly the same one somewhere nearby.

That is why, perhaps, a small spider vein will seem like a trifle to us. But when right above it in a couple of years more large vein, we will understand that there may be a relationship here. In fact, sections of the capillary network in any tissue can be removed in fairly large volumes and without the slightest consequences. This procedure significantly improves the quality of work (and therefore the blood supply) of the surrounding vessels - making their life easier, so to speak. But, in addition, it never leads to necrosis and necrosis of the area affected by the procedure, since it is not completely deprived of blood circulation.

This is how our vascular system is structured: no more than 10% of the blood entering this area of ​​tissue as a whole passes through the capillaries. And then, capillary mesh always highly branched. That is, as a rule, the removal of one branch completely means only that the blood will now be supplied here through the neighboring branch, which remains in its “legal” state due to the fact of complete health. Thus, laser photocoagulation simultaneously strives to achieve two goals. The first is to slow down the growth of the “blind” area of ​​the retina to the size of the entire macula by improving the blood supply to currently healthy areas. And the second is the possible stimulation of already destroyed areas for renewal.

By the way, when we can hope for the latter with every reason (although everything is not very good with the capillaries, the structure of the retina has not suffered too much so far), we may be offered to follow up with another procedure, also with the help of a laser. It will no longer be destructive, but, on the contrary, stimulating. Its essence is that the survivors, functional vessels(usually near the eye, and not in the retina itself), the doctor will first give a portion of medications or restoratives. For example, the very vitamins that lately the target cells in the macula were simply not reached due to blood supply problems and other problems. And then the laser beam will warm up the vessels in whose blood the injected mixture appears, so that due to the heat, the entire contents of the bloodstream are absorbed by the target cells faster, more completely, and more actively. This type of maintenance therapy is used, among other things, for a number of other pathologies. For example, when malignant neoplasms(sometimes they even simulate and enhance the effect of chemotherapy), HIV and AIDS.

Getting old is very difficult. Often, in old age, the ability to see is gradually lost. This is due to the fact that all human organs begin to “wear out” over time. One of the first tissues to suffer is the eye tissue. It is believed that vision deteriorates from the age of 40-45. This happens even in cases where a person has not previously had problems with vision during his life. Vision deterioration occurs gradually. Most people are concerned about “farsightedness,” that is, the inability to see objects that are close. Sometimes, more develop serious problems. These include pathologies such as cataracts, glaucoma, etc. Another common disease is age-related macular degeneration. This disease is dangerous because it can lead to loss of vision.

Concept of age-related retinal degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a pathology that develops due to degenerative processes in the retina of the eye. This area is directly connected to the brain (it is a peripheral analyzer). With the help of the retina, the perception of information and its transformation into visual images is formed. On the surface of the peripheral analyzer there is a zone that contains many receptors - rods and cones. It is called the macula (yellow spot). The receptors that make up the center of the retina provide color vision in humans. In addition, it is in the macula that light is focused. Thanks to this function, human vision is sharp and clear. Age-related macular degeneration of the retina leads to degeneration of the macular tissue. Not only the pigment layer undergoes changes, but also the vessels feeding this area. Although the disease is called “age-related macular degeneration,” it does not only affect older people. Often the first symptoms pathological changes in the eye they begin to be felt by the age of 55. To the elderly and old age the disease progresses to such an extent that the person may completely lose the ability to see.

Age-related macular degeneration of the retina is a common disease. Often this pathology becomes the cause of loss of ability to work and disability. It is widespread in America, Asia and Europe. Unfortunately, the disease is often diagnosed in late stages. In these cases, you have to resort to surgical treatment. However, with timely therapeutic treatment, as well as performing preventive measures it is possible to avoid surgical intervention and complications of pathology (blindness).

Causes of development of age-related macular degeneration

Like all degenerative processes, this disease tends to be slow and progressive. Reasons dystrophic changes in the macula retina may be different. The main one is considered to be the involution of eye tissue. However, in some people, dystrophic changes occur more quickly, while in others, more slowly. Therefore, there is an opinion that age-related macular degeneration is inherited (genetically), and also predominates in people of European nationality. Other risk factors include: smoking, arterial hypertension, frequent exposure to the sun. Based on this, the causes of macular degeneration can be identified. These include:

  1. Vascular lesions. Atherosclerosis is considered one of the risk factors small arteries. Impaired oxygen delivery to eye tissues is one of the main mechanisms for the development of degeneration.
  2. Excess body weight.
  3. Lack of vitamins and some microelements. Among the substances necessary for the maintenance of retinal tissue are lutein and zeaxanthin.
  4. Availability large quantity « free radicals" They increase the risk of developing organ degeneration several times.
  5. Ethnic characteristics. The disease is more common in people with light-colored eyes. The fact is that representatives of the Caucasian race have a low density of pigment contained in the retina. For this reason, degenerative processes develop faster, as do the symptoms of the disease.
  6. Poor nutrition.
  7. Being under straight lines sun rays without safety glasses.

Pathology often develops in people with a burdened hereditary history (presence of the disease in parents or grandmothers). In most cases, the disease is diagnosed in the female population.

Age-related macular degeneration: pathophysiology of the process

Surgical treatment of retinal degeneration

One drug therapy is not enough if the patient is diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration. Treatment of pathology should be combined with surgical correction. This is especially true for the wet form of AMD. Currently, almost every ophthalmology clinic provides laser treatment for macular degeneration. It may vary. The choice of method depends on the stage of AMD and the manifestations of the pathology. Highlight following methods surgical correction:

  1. Laser coagulation of neovascular membrane.
  2. Photodynamic therapy with Visudin.
  3. Transpupillary laser thermal correction.

If possible and there are no contraindications, pigment epithelium transplantation, vitrectomy (in case of hemorrhage in the vitreous eyes).

Prevention of age-related retinal degeneration

TO preventive measures include: dieting, weight loss. At vascular lesions Smoking cessation is recommended. You should also avoid direct exposure to sunlight for people with light color eye. In addition, prevention includes the use of vitamins to strengthen vision and microelements.

When the diameter of the vessels decreases, the nutrition of the retina is disrupted. As a result, due to lack of oxygen and nutrients the retina of the eye undergoes dystrophic changes. This manifestation is most often observed in both eyes. In this case, one of them suffers more than the other.

The risk group for macular degeneration of the retina includes older people. With age, central vision is affected big changes due to the fact that problems with the circulatory system are progressing.

Macular degeneration code according to ICD-10

H35.3 Macular and posterior pole degeneration

Causes of macular degeneration

Doctors and scientists have not recorded the causes of macular degeneration as an absolute list. They are identified as a series of assumptions indicating possible factors, which could serve as an impetus for the formation of dystrophic changes. Among them:

  • Age-related changes.
  • Heredity.
  • Smoking.
  • Exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
  • Unbalanced diet.
  • Having excess weight.
  • Diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Macular degeneration occurs more often in women due to their longer duration life in relation to men. Moreover, those who have crossed the threshold of 50 years are predisposed to this disease.

Macular degeneration in children

Macular degeneration rarely develops in children. It occurs in them if their parents had a predisposition to this disease. At the same time, vascular sclerosis develops at the genetic level, which becomes the impetus for dystrophic changes in the retina.

Classification of macular degeneration

There are dry and wet forms of macular degeneration. Moreover, each of them has a certain set of characteristics and symptomatic manifestations.

Dry macular degeneration

Diagnosed in 90% of cases. It represents the first stage of macular degeneration in which new vessels have not had time to form. Characteristic manifestation dry macular degeneration - thinning of retinal tissue and accumulation of pigments in its layers yellow(Druze). In the dry form of the disease, 3 stages of development are observed:

  1. The early stage does not manifest itself as a disorder visual functions. It can be identified by the formation of drusen.
  2. The intermediate stage is characterized by the fusion of small drusen into medium-sized spots or into one large one. As a visual defect, a blurry silhouette appears before the eyes.
  3. The pronounced stage implies an increase in the silhouette and its blackening. This suggests that light-sensitive cells are dying.

The dry form of macular degeneration causes decreased vision if it is not treated properly. early stage.

Wet macular degeneration

The wet form of the disease damages vision more than the dry form. This is due to the formation of new vessels (neovascularization process). They are very fragile, so they are often damaged, causing hemorrhages. They, in turn, lead to the death of light-sensitive cells and the appearance of a blind spot in the field of vision.

There are hidden and classic types macular degeneration. IN the latter case dystrophic processes are more pronounced. At the same time vascular neoplasms appear more often. This is accompanied by the development of scar tissue.

Symptoms of the disease

If we talk about dry macular degeneration, then initial stages she doesn't call pain And symptomatic manifestation. It is necessary to take the appearance of such signs seriously in order to identify the disease on time.:

  • It becomes difficult to navigate in the dark.
  • Vision begins to decline.
  • Visible text becomes harder to see.
  • It is more difficult to recognize surrounding faces.
  • The field of vision is clouded by a dark spot without pronounced contours.

The same symptoms are characteristic of wet macular degeneration. Distortion of outlines is added to them visible image and visual bending of straight lines.

Diagnosis of macular degeneration

Diagnosis of a disease involves drawing up clinical picture in accordance with patient complaints and research results. The following methods are used to detect the disease::

  • Examination of the eye using an alkaline lamp and an ophthalmoscope.
  • Determination of visual acuity and field using various tests (including the Amsler test).
  • Fluorescein angiography.
  • Computed tomography.

As a result of the research, the stage of the disease and the location of the lesion are revealed. Treatment is prescribed according to the data obtained.

Treatment of dry macular degeneration

Dry macular degeneration to be treated conservative methods. The purpose of the measures taken is to stop the formation of new vessels, thereby eliminating the further development of the disease. The risk of further vision loss is prevented by antioxidant and zinc supplements. In the dry form of the disease, the patient is prescribed medicines, which include vitamins A, C and E, copper and zinc. In addition, the ophthalmologist prescribes Lutein and Zeaxanthin. The same drugs are used to prevent macular degeneration.

Treatment of wet macular degeneration

The conservative method in the treatment of wet macular degeneration is ineffective. Therefore, preference is given to such procedures:

  • Laser surgery. It is used if the newly formed vessels are located at a distance from the fossa of the macula. Those that are characterized by fragility and bleeding are removed. They are destroyed by laser radiation, but healthy tissue can also be accidentally damaged. Laser treatment doesn't always help. In many cases, even after repeat procedure vision continues to deteriorate.
  • Photodynamic therapy is more safe method compared to laser surgery. Represents intravenous administration Vizudina. Medicinal substances attach to the walls of painful vessels and irradiate them with light radiation for 1.5 minutes without affecting healthy tissue. The result is a slowdown in the rate of vision deterioration. For 5 days after the procedure, you need to protect your eyes from bright sunlight and room lighting. The effect of photodynamics is unstable. After some time, a repeat procedure may be necessary.
  • Intraocular injections or anti-VEGF therapy. To begin with, it is carried out local anesthesia. After this, Avastin, Lucentis, Macugen and other modern medications are injected into the eye cavity. Their action is to block the growth factor of new non-viable vessels. The procedure is carried out monthly. Doses of the drug are calculated for each patient separately.

Doctors talk about the treatment of macular degeneration this way:

Only intraocular injections can improve vision. Other treatment methods only stop the further development of dystrophic changes.

Folk remedies

Since the cause of dystrophic changes can be poor nutrition, treatment with folk remedies involves its correction. It is recommended to eat chickpeas and wheat germ. Eye drops from tincture of aloe juice and mumiyo help improve vision. It's worth remembering that folk remedies are auxiliary and are used along with the main treatment. You should talk to your doctor about their effectiveness before using them.

Prevention of macular degeneration

Here's what they say about disease prevention on the Internet:


Thus, to reduce the risk of macular degeneration, you need to follow these tips:

  1. Protect your eyes from ultraviolet exposure. For these purposes, wear sunglasses before going outside.
  2. Quit smoking and the risk of developing the disease will decrease by 5 times.
  3. Eat more fish, fruits and vegetables.
  4. Set limits on fatty foods.
  5. Take vitamins as advised by your doctor.
  6. Make it a habit to exercise daily.
  7. Monitor your weight.
  8. Control blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.

An annual visit to an ophthalmologist will help to detect the disease in a timely manner.

The retina of the eye, whose diseases significantly affect our life, is very important element, which ensures correct and good eyesight. Without it, the image could not be projected and transformed. Simply put, we wouldn't see anything. Naturally, if you notice any symptoms of retinal disease, you must begin treatment.

Macular degeneration: characteristics of the disease

First you need to understand what a “macula” is. This is the light-sensitive layer of the retina, which is located in its center. Thanks to it, you can clearly see the objects that are in front of your eyes. That is, if it is damaged, then you are unlikely to be able to read and write normally. Thanks to this element you can also distinguish colors and shades. The macula consists of light-sensitive cells. Their peculiarity is that they are not insured against damage.

Macular degeneration of the retina is a pathology characterized by damage to central vision. In principle, it does not cause complete blindness. In addition, the pathology often manifests itself in both eyes, and unevenly, so you may not immediately notice the onset of the disease.

The retina of the eye, whose diseases worsen the quality of life, does not hurt with this disease. It should be noted that in women this pathology is much more common. In addition, it develops already in old age.

Causes of the disease

Among the factors that can provoke this pathology, the following should be highlighted:

Poor nutrition (if the body is provided with all the necessary microelements and vitamins, the progression of the disease can significantly slow down or stop altogether);

Ultraviolet rays ( sunlight can damage the retina);

Hereditary predisposition;

Poor hygiene and eye strain;

Bad habits (smoking);

Any disease of the circulatory system.

Retinal diseases, the treatment of which must be thorough and timely, can have complex consequences. Try not to study self-removal and diagnosing pathology. Contact your doctor.

Symptoms of pathology

Macular degeneration of the retina is characterized by the following symptoms:

Distortion and deterioration of central vision, and it appears gradually or very sharply;

Difficulty writing or reading;

Depending on the form of the pathology, you may see either a blind dark spot or curved lines instead of straight ones;

No pain;

Difficulty adapting vision in the dark;

As the pathology develops, it becomes difficult for the patient to distinguish between people's faces.

Sometimes, if macular degeneration is severely advanced, a person may experience hallucinations that are in no way related to his mental state.

Diagnosis of pathology

This procedure is not difficult. Naturally, it should be performed by an experienced ophthalmologist using various techniques and devices. For example, a specialist must definitely examine the apple in order to clarify the diagnosis. To do this, the doctor often uses special drops to dilate and relax the pupil.

In addition, the Amsler grid and fluorescein angiography are used for examination. It is also possible to use computer techniques determining the diagnosis. Typically the inspection procedure does not take more than 15 minutes. Any ophthalmologist can carry it out, since he often does not require special equipment.

Types of disease

It must be said that macular degeneration of the retina can have two forms: dry and wet. Each of them has its own characteristics. For example, the first type is detected much more often than the second, but its treatment is more difficult. In addition, the dry form develops gradually and is often very advanced at the time of detection. The peculiarity of this type of disease is that doctors do not yet fully know how it can be treated. However, in any case, experts advise adjusting your diet so that the diet contains the optimal amount of antioxidants, vitamins A and E. With dry maculopathy, complete degeneration of the central part of the retina occurs.

There is another type of pathology. Macular degeneration, the wet form of this disease, is characterized by the fact that it develops very rapidly, but occurs in only 10% of all currently known cases. The reason for the appearance of this form of pathology is the development of additional blood vessels behind the retina. Moreover, they have very fragile walls, so hemorrhages in the eye cavity are not uncommon. In addition, it grows rapidly behind the retina connective tissue which contributes to vision impairment.

It should be noted that the wet form of pathology can be cured if it is detected at an early stage of development.

There is another type of this pathology - senile macular degeneration. It is characterized by the fact that the eyes begin to become thinner and more fragile. In this case, food visual organ deteriorates significantly and the efficiency of the macula decreases.

Features of traditional treatment of the disease

There are specially developed methods for eliminating this defect of the visual organ. Naturally, effective treatment occurs if the pathology was detected in time. If you are diagnosed with maculopathy, the reasons for its appearance (their analysis) will help to prescribe correct therapy. An experienced doctor should be involved in eliminating the disease. Traditional methods treatments are not a panacea in this case, but can be an addition to traditional therapy.

In addition, specialists can use a special drug, Lucentis, which helps eliminate macular edema and prevents new vessels from appearing behind the retina. Naturally, such a medicine must be injected into the eye. Also applies symptomatic therapy, that is, eliminating tearing, washing the eyes to relieve inflammation. You should also take medications that help dilate and strengthen blood vessels.

The dry form of the disease is practically untreatable today.

Is surgery necessary?

If the disease is very advanced and greatly complicates a person’s life, then surgery is possible. However, they do it in in some cases in the absence of contraindications. Often in modern clinics laser therapy is used with simultaneous use the drug "Visudin", which is injected into the eye before surgery and helps to increase the sensitivity of blood vessels to radiation. Thanks to this procedure, the area of ​​damage to the visual cells is significantly reduced.

Gives a good effect photodynamic therapy. Regarding surgical intervention, then now this method is still being finalized and tested. For example, doctors are studying the effectiveness of removing membranes from newly formed vessels. Naturally, all these processes are very delicate and labor-intensive, so they must be carried out by a good specialist.

Prevention of pathology

Macular degeneration of the retina, the treatment of which is effective only if all the doctor’s instructions are followed, is complex illness. Naturally, measures should be taken that will reduce the development of pathology or prevent its occurrence. For example, the diet and quality of nutrition should be adjusted. You should not walk in open sunlight without darkening glasses (high-quality ones!). You definitely need to break up with bad habits, especially with smoking.

While reading, keep the room well lit. Try to choose text written in medium to large font.