Shedding new light on eye diseases: Macular degeneration
"Most people don't realize it, but macular degeneration is the single leading cause of blindness in people over 65," says
Michael Colucciello, MD, Virtua retina surgeon. "As the population is living longer, macular degeneration becomes an increasingly important public health problem. It's especially heart wrenching for someone to lose the ability to read, drive, or see a grandchild. And most of all, to watch one's independence slip away is devastating."
Look for the signs
A new therapy and new hope
Look for the signs
Dr. Colucciello describes common presenting symptoms of macular degeneration. "Patients often go to their family physician or eye doctor complaining of a dark spot at the center of their vision, about the size of a quarter. Or they start seeing wavy lines that ought to be straight ones, like lines on the highway." If the doctor suspects the patient is showing signs of macular degeneration, he or she generally sends the person to a retina specialist.
"The macula is the center, most sensitive part of the retina, where straight-ahead vision takes place," explains Alan Forman, MD, Virtua ophthalmologist. "The retina functions as the 'film' of the eye, taking pictures that get sent to the brain via the optic nerve."
Two types of macular degeneration can occur. The more prevalent form, dry macular degeneration, accounts for 80 to 90% of all cases. In it, the tissues in the region of the macula become thinned out. Vision usually becomes impaired, but the "dry" form is responsible for only 10% of blindness from the disease.
The "wet" form of macular degeneration is far more serious. Here, abnormal, immature blood vessels grow under the retina and rupture, causing bleeding, scarring and severe vision loss that often ends in blindness. In both dry and wet macular degeneration, peripheral or side vision is not impaired. Vision loss often progresses relatively slowly, however in the "wet" form, vision loss can sometimes deteriorate in just weeks.
Macular degeneration is not a normal part of aging. And right now, what causes it is unknown. Some factors that can predispose someone to macular degeneration are cigarette smoking and heredity — having a first-degree relative like a mother, father or sibling with the disease.
A new therapy and new hope
For the wet, more serious form of the disease, a significant new therapy called photodynamic laser therapy has recently been FDA-approved. In some cases, it can help patients cut their rate of vision loss by one-half. Some individuals even experience an improvement in vision. A highly specialized dye called Visudyne is first injected into the person's arm, which accumulates in the leaking blood vessels in the eye. The patient is then exposed to a low-intensity laser that activates the dye, causing a reaction that seals the blood vessels. Photodynamic laser therapy helps prevent further bleeding and, thus, stabilizes the vision.
Currently, there are no scientifically proven methods of preventing macular degeneration, although some investigational methods are being explored. They include other types of laser treatment for some people at high risk, nutritional additions, drugs, and surgery.
It's important for anyone suffering from macular degeneration to see a qualified specialist. Virtua Health offers patients and their families a multi-dimensional approach to treating this disease: from excellent retina surgeons and ophthalmologists to ancillary services.
Patients also benefit from Virtua's state-of-the-art Eye Diagnostic Treatment Center. Here, highly trained retina surgeons and ophthalmologists employ the latest diagnostic and treatment methods for macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and cataracts among other eye problems. It's an unparalleled resource for eye health right in the community, complete with world-class care and technology.