Macular degenerationis an eye disease that causes problems with yourcentral vision, what you see straight ahead of you.
Other forms of the disease can strike between childhood and early adulthood.
Age is the main risk factor for AMD.
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This article describes the most common ages when AMD occurs.
It explains when symptoms can present and reasons they may not be recognized.
It also describes risk factors and treatments.
It is often called age-related macular degeneration because it is most commonly found in people over 60 years old.
While it is a rare diagnosis before age 55, it can occur at any age.
The majority of people who experience macular degeneration are age 75 and older.
Determining the age of onset can be challenging because dry AMD often exists without symptoms.
Wet AMD only occurs after dry AMD.
This can be problematic because early detection is critical for effective disease management and reducing vision loss.
Understanding how AMD progresses can improve your chances of getting an early diagnosis.
The rate at which dry AMD progresses to the intermediate stage varies.
The impact on visual ability can be minimal or more noticeable.
By the time of diagnosis, it is typically a serious condition that requires prompt treatment.
Though rare, this disease has also been observed in much younger people.
Researchers have reported finding evidence of early AMD in people under age 30.
However, regular eye examinations that check your macula can help identify AMD in its earliest stages.
JMD is a group of inherited, genetic conditions.
These diseases include Stargardt disease, Best disease, andjuvenileretinoschisis.
Unlike AMD, which occurs with the natural aging process, juvenile macular degeneration is linked to genetic causes.
How Old Are AMD Patients With Blindness?
The vision loss resulting from AMD affects your central vision, not your peripheral (side) vision.
Reasons Macular Degeneration Symptoms Start
Macular degeneration occurs due to the natural aging process of your macula.
The macula is the part of your eye that controls central vision and your ability to perceive color.
Dry Macular Degeneration
Dry macular degeneration results when parts of your macula thin with age and dysfunction.
Drusen usually don’t cause symptoms in the early stages of AMD.
The affected cells eventually die, causing vision to become blurry.
Dry AMD progresses slowly and worsens as the drusen grow and accumulate.
Wet Macular Degeneration
Wet macular degeneration takes place if dry AMD changes to wet AMD.
These abnormal vessels leak blood and other fluids, damaging the macula.
Symptoms of vision loss can occur dramatically and rapidly.
While macular degeneration is incurable, appropriateAMD treatmentsmay help slow disease progression.
In some cases, treatments may help you regain vision loss.
While AMD is often asymptomatic at this stage, it can still cause damage, leading to vision loss.
Recommendations at this stage often involve lifestyle changes that can help slow disease progression.
The same lifestyle modifications used in early-stage AMD are advised at this more advanced stage.
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Treatments work to reduce the growth of abnormal blood vessels and slow leaking from existing ones.
When it reaches your eye, a laser beam is directed toward the back of your eye.
This activates the drug so it can attack the abnormal blood vessels.
Laser Photocoagulation
Laser photocoagulationis a punch in of minimally invasive laser surgery.
It uses thermal laser treatments to shrink and destroy faulty blood vessels.
This is because there is a risk of laser damage to overlying vision cells in the treated area.
Summary
Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that most often affects people over age 60.
However, research shows the disease may also affect a small group of people at a much younger age.
Getting yearly eye exams can help you identify vision problems at any age.
Knowing AMD’s risk factors and symptoms can help you identify the need for care as early as possible.
This can help you begin treatments proven to reduce vision loss and slow disease progression.
Prompt treatment may make a difference in preventing vision loss from AMD.
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