The human eye is one of the most complex structures in the human body. The complexity is, however, at the mercy of many ailments that affect its efficiency. While the organ is quite small, its impact on the quality of life is significant. While some of its ailments occur due to external factors or other bodily diseases, some occur due to aging.

 

One of the most common ailments that occur due to aging is age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is the top leading cause of blindness for patients over 50. AMD causes loss of central vision, which means the patient cannot see what is right in front of their face. Patients who get to the final stage of the condition are usually declared legally blind.

What Is AMD?

As mentioned above, it is a degenerative condition that affects central vision. It mainly affects the macula, a critical part of the retina at the back of the eye. The retina is responsible for receiving light through the pupil and converting light data into electrical signals. The macula is responsible for controlling central vision. Because it only affects central vision, the peripheral vision of patients with AMD is still functional.

 

Who Can Get AMD?

Other than the obvious risk of getting it because you are getting older, here are the other risk factors for AMD:

 

• If you are overweight

• If you have hypertension

• If you are of European descent

• If you have a family history of AMD

• If you smoke a lot

• If you have been on a high saturated fat diet
  
   

What Are the Stages of AMD?

AMD has three primary stages based on the number of drusen found under the retina. Drusen are yellow deposits that collect under the retina. Usually, they appear as you age, but if they are more than normal, it is a sign of AMD.

Usually, AMD can either be dry or wet. Dry AMD is classified into three: early, intermediate, and advanced stages. Doctors always consider wet AMD to be advanced.

 

Early AMD

In this stage, the drusen under the retina are often small to medium size, about as thick as a hair. The patient does not experience any vision loss. The risk of progressing to advanced AMD is significantly low, even within five to ten years. A study found that only 15 percent of patients with early AMD developed large drusen.

 

Intermediate AMD

It is important to diagnose at this stage because patients risk developing advanced AMD. In this stage, the patient may notice some vision loss. There will also be changes in the cells under the retina that support retinal health.

 

Advanced AMD

Patients with advanced macular degeneration have significant vision loss because of damage to the retina. If you only have AMD in one eye, you are likely to develop it in the other eye as well. You can have one of two types of advanced AMD: non-neovascular (dry AMD) or neovascular or exudative AMD (wet AMD). 

 

Advanced Dry AMD

In this stage, light-sensitive retinal cells deteriorate slowly, affecting vision. The tissue under the retina also degenerates significantly, causing vision loss.

 

Advanced Wet AMD

In this type of advanced AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak, damaging the retina and macula. Wet AMD advances much quicker than dry AMD. If the blood vessels leak into or underneath the retina, the patient can suddenly lose vision.

For more information on the stages of age-related macular degeneration, contact Sacramento Eye Consultants at our office in Sacramento or Lincoln, California. Call (916) 915-0300 to book an appointment today.