Eye disorders are very common in the adult age, as people grow their eyesight tends to become weak. This is not necessary but majority of people suffer from this issue. Macular degeneration is one of the eye disorders which usually happens because of old age or any disorder. Macular degeneration happens in the back of the eyes in the centre of retina. There are 2 types of macular degeneration which occurs in people. One is dry macular degeneration and other is wet macular degeneration. Today we will look at the difference between dry and wet macular degeneration and know different conditions affecting it.
What is Dry Macular Degeneration?
We spoke to Dr. Arun Mehta, Consultant and Eye Specialist in Sahara Hospital, Lucknow. He told us that dry macular degeneration is a condition in which vision is lost because of thinning of macula in the eyes. Macula is actually a part of retina which is useful to determine the sharpness and details of what we look at. It usually occurs to people around and over 60 years because the retina of eyes tends to fail. Dry macular degeneration is more common than wet macular degeneration and can cause problems in general habits such as reading, writing, driving and recognizing objects.
Difference between Dry Macular Degeneration and Wet Macular Degeneration
Dry macular degeneration or as the term says atrophic macular degeneration is caused mostly after the age of 60. It can result to vision loss and blurred vision because of problem in the retina. This condition is caused because of loss macula from the retina over the years. In this condition a person is unable to see clearly in low light or may have problem in writing, reading or doing any fine things that may be problematic.
In the case with wet macular degeneration, this is more of complicated state in which a eyes of the person may get affected to a different level. In wet AMD the blood vessels of the eye become abnormal and there is a fluid build up in the eyes which could possibly cause a lot of problems in the vision. It may also result to distorted vision which is a very severe problem as compared to dry AMD. Wet macular degeneration often happens suddenly hence it could lead to complications at a stage where it needs to be operated.
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Symptoms of Dry AMD
There are a lot of symptoms that can be involved in having dry AMD. Here are some symptoms that you should know about-
- Seeing straight lines as little bent
- Loss of vision especially in the middle of the eyes
- Difficulty in adjusting with low light and visibility in dim light becomes problematic
- Dimming of the intensity of light or colours
- Problem in recognizing faces
- Having problem in judging the different colours especially light ones
What are the conditions Affecting Dry AMD?
In case of dry AMD, it usually becomes really difficult to deal with vision problems. However there are certain conditions that start affecting you with time depending on the stages of Dry AMD. These stages are early, intermediate and late stage.
In the early stage of AMD, there is a slight vision loss and mostly a person is unable to notice the problems he may face. He may require spectacles for reading or writing part but rest of the symptoms are not evident.
In the intermediate level, the person starts experiencing slight symptoms which could cause some problems. Drusen are basically yellow deposits that occur under the retina. At this stage, the person has some symptoms and eyesight may become quite weak. You may have to go for an eye check up at this stage.
In the late of advanced stage, the person gets terrible symptoms of dry AMD and it could be threatening to their eye’s health. It can be possibly be dangerous because retina of the eyes can start depleting which could cause a blind spot in the eyes. If Dry AMD is not treated at this stage, then it could be very harmful and lead you to wet AMD.
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What can be done to prevent Dry AMD?
Dry macular degeneration can be controlled when a person is having adequate diet and takes certain preventive measures. Here are some tips you can take-Go for regular eye tests and keep a check on eye health
- Do not forget to wear glasses if you have power or problems in your eyes
- Have diet which contains good amount of zinc, vitamin C, E and omega 3 fatty acids for good eye health
- Try to have low glycemic index diet which can prevent dry AMD
- Take extra precaution; wash your eyes regularly, especially at older age
- Eat fruits and vegetables that contain dark green leaves, you should also have fatty fish, vegetable oils and nuts.
- Exercise and be mindful of the daily activity that you follow
- Prevent yourself from bacterial infections and virus that could affect your eyesight
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