Types Of Macular Degeneration And What Causes Them?

Our body parts are designed in a manner that they start working differently with our aging processes. Activities that we managed to do effortlessly in our younger age get difficult with aging. As a result, this leaves us with a stiffed feeling. A similar condition is recognized with human eyes. If you have noticed your vision growing weaker, then you’re not alone. With the fundamental structure of our eyes, it is an understood fact that eyesight deteriorates with age in almost everyone.

Macular Degeneration is an age-related condition which is observed with progressive aging. It involves deterioration of the macula as a result of old age.

What is Macula?

The macula is a part of the human eye’s retina. It’s responsible for featuring the concentration of cones in a short middle area of the layer. Being in the central part of the retina, it serves as the functional center of the eye and aids in the central vision of the eye.

Central sight is a primary kind of vision because it enables you to look straight ahead and view visual details. Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) affects your central eyesight and is responsible for the blurriness in the central vision or loss of sight altogether.

There are two strands of Macular Degeneration: Dry and Wet Macular Degeneration. Around 85-90% of Macular Degeneration cases are the ‘dry’ type, and only 10-15% are of ‘wet’ type.

Dry (Atrophic) Macular Degeneration

Dry Macular Degeneration is a common age-related eye disorder among people over 65. It causes reduced or blurred central vision, as a result of thinning of the macula. Dry AMD may initially first develop in one eye and then affect both. With time, the ailment worsens the vision and affects the ability to do things such as drive, read and recognize faces. Early detection of the condition and self-caring can assist in delaying vision loss due to dry AMD.

Causes:

Mostly Dry AMD is caused due to aging along with other assisted environmental factors, including unbalanced diet and smoking. Several pieces of research also have indicated that it may be inherited from heredity as well. It affects the direct line of sight, which is responsible for our central vision. With time the tissues of macula worn out get thin and break down.

Wet (exudative) Macular Degeneration

Wet macular degeneration is another type of AMD which causes a blind spot in your visual field or blurred vision. However, the specific cause of wet macular degeneration is considered to be the blood vessels that leak blood or fluid into the macula.

One significant fact to note here is that this condition of macular degeneration always occurs after the dry type. Wet AMD is more critical than a dry one.

Causes:

It develops in people who have already had dry macular degeneration. There are two cases with which wet macular degeneration can develop:

• Abnormal blood vessel growth from the choroid reaching the macula. These abnormal growths of blood vessels may interfere with the retina’s function and may lead to vision loss.

• Fluid buildup in the back of the eye is yet another cause of wet macular degeneration, leading towards vision loss.