One of the most common age-related diseases of the eye is Age-related Macular Degeneration, or AMD. AMD is common, the risk of getting age-related macular degeneration increases from 2% for those ages 50-59, to nearly 30% for those over the age of 75. Age related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in people over the age of 65.
Click here to download information about the ForeSee PHP and learn how it can help save your vision from AMD.
AMD progressively destroys highly sensitive tissue in the macula - the area at the back of the eye where light is focused and nerve signals tell your brain what you are seeing. This is known as central vision; it enables you to perform activities that require a sharp focus in the center of your visual range.
The macula is made up of a group of densely packed light-sensitive cells called rods and cones in the center of the back of the eye, known as the retina. Cones are responsible for color vision, rods enable one to see shades of gray. The choroid is an underlying layer of blood vessels that nourishes the rods and cones. A layer of tissue forming the outermost surface of the retina is called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE is a critical passageway for nutrients from the choroid to the retina and helps remove waste products from the retina to the choroid.
The damage caused by macular degeneration cannot be reversed, but early detection and treatment may help reduce the extent of vision loss. AMD is often referred to as dry AMD and wet AMD. While both affect your central vision, it is important to know the differences so you and your doctor can take appropriate action early enough to prevent a progression of the condition. Click here to view the Foresee PHP Patient Brochure.
Dry AMD
Most people with AMD have this form of the disease. Usually, dry AMD does not cause severe vision loss. In some people, however, central vision loss can occur slowly, with a slight blurring that may prompt you to add light for reading and other tasks. Also, some people with dry AMD have trouble recognizing faces from a distance. Dry AMD starts in just one eye at first, and usually occurs later in the other eye; there is no way of knowing when or if this may happen. Because AMD causes no pain and the visual symptoms are generally mild, many people consider a slow loss of central vision to be just a normal part of aging. But there is nothing normal about AMD - particularly if it progresses to the more severe form: wet AMD.
Wet AMD
About 15 to 20 percent of people with dry AMD will progress to the wet form of the disease. In the case of wet AMD, tiny blood vessels underneath the retina grow out of control. Often, these uncontrolled blood vessels cause blood and fluid to leak under the macula. The resulting damage can be devastating, leading to rapid, severe and permanent central vision loss unless it is detected and treated early.
1. National Eye Institute, Age Related Macular Degeneration, www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp#2b.
2. National Eye Institute 2006, Progress in Eye and Vision Research
Click here to download information about the ForeSee PHP and learn how it can help save your vision from AMD.
AMD progressively destroys highly sensitive tissue in the macula - the area at the back of the eye where light is focused and nerve signals tell your brain what you are seeing. This is known as central vision; it enables you to perform activities that require a sharp focus in the center of your visual range.
The macula is made up of a group of densely packed light-sensitive cells called rods and cones in the center of the back of the eye, known as the retina. Cones are responsible for color vision, rods enable one to see shades of gray. The choroid is an underlying layer of blood vessels that nourishes the rods and cones. A layer of tissue forming the outermost surface of the retina is called the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE is a critical passageway for nutrients from the choroid to the retina and helps remove waste products from the retina to the choroid.
The damage caused by macular degeneration cannot be reversed, but early detection and treatment may help reduce the extent of vision loss. AMD is often referred to as dry AMD and wet AMD. While both affect your central vision, it is important to know the differences so you and your doctor can take appropriate action early enough to prevent a progression of the condition. Click here to view the Foresee PHP Patient Brochure.
Dry AMD
Most people with AMD have this form of the disease. Usually, dry AMD does not cause severe vision loss. In some people, however, central vision loss can occur slowly, with a slight blurring that may prompt you to add light for reading and other tasks. Also, some people with dry AMD have trouble recognizing faces from a distance. Dry AMD starts in just one eye at first, and usually occurs later in the other eye; there is no way of knowing when or if this may happen. Because AMD causes no pain and the visual symptoms are generally mild, many people consider a slow loss of central vision to be just a normal part of aging. But there is nothing normal about AMD - particularly if it progresses to the more severe form: wet AMD.
Wet AMD
About 15 to 20 percent of people with dry AMD will progress to the wet form of the disease. In the case of wet AMD, tiny blood vessels underneath the retina grow out of control. Often, these uncontrolled blood vessels cause blood and fluid to leak under the macula. The resulting damage can be devastating, leading to rapid, severe and permanent central vision loss unless it is detected and treated early.
1. National Eye Institute, Age Related Macular Degeneration, www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp#2b.
2. National Eye Institute 2006, Progress in Eye and Vision Research
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about the ForeSee PHP - the revolution in AMD Care.
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