ANSWER. REMINDER: Our hotline team is working remotely and focusing their time on helping our patients.  We kindly ask pharmacies, providers, and their staff to use our Pharmacy and Provider Portals. You’re going to live with it for the rest of your life, so spend some hours or days learning about it. From features on the people, programs and products changing the way health care is delivered, to interviews with leading researchers and clinicians, to profiles of patient advocacy organizations, RWHC has provided valuable insights and information to those interested in both the current state and the future of health care. There are millions of people who suffer with macular degeneration. Control your risk factors and life style modifications. Things that can help with macular degeneration are: This is the first and most important part of living with macular degeneration or any other condition in life. In western countries, it is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years of age. You may have poor central vision, but even with advanced age-related macular degeneration you… Although age related macular degeneration is a frustrating condition, it’s manageable and living with macular degeneration can be made easy and normal in various ways. The whole process is a lot less painful than most people fear.”. Wet Macular Degeneration . Also … Peggy has sought the help of low vision services over the years. Lowering your risk of macular degeneration requires making healthy decisions throughout your life. Approximately 85 to 90% of the cases of macular degeneration are of Dry while almost 10 to 15% population seems to have a wet type. For more information on Real World Health Care or to contribute a post or article idea, contact managing editor Linda Barlow at Linda.Barlow@HealthWellFoundation.org or 267-481-0502. First, you must accept the fact that you are now one of the almost two million people in the U.S. alone who are afflicted with this disease. If you have macular degeneration, you must make a conscious effort to locate this area and use it as fully as possible. to detect changes in the factors that might lead to progress of symptoms of macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can blur the sharp, central vision you need for activities like reading and driving. If you have macular degeneration, saturated and trans fats from red meat, whole milk, fried foods, and baked goods can increase your vision damage. Age-related Macular Degeneration is a progressive condition. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), 10-15 million individuals have the condition and about 10 percent of those affected have the wet type of macular degeneration ("Are You at Risk," 2010).. Risk Factors. When you are looking for early signs for macular degeneration, direct and sudden blindness doesn’t happen to you. VIRGINIA:  Alexandria, Fairfax, Tysons Corner, and Vienna, HOUSE CALLS AVAILABLE IN MARYLAND AND VIRIGINIA. “People hear about the in-eye injections that are standard therapy and think, ‘there’s no way I can do this.’ They should know that their ophthalmologist can help them adapt to their situation and make the most of their vision. But, unlike dry macular degeneration, wet AMD is treatable, and researchers are working on some promising new drugs. The less common, but more serious, wet AMD happens when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak blood or other fluids that cause scarring on the macula. In fact, many people can live an active life well into their golden years without ever experiencing severe vision loss. Tiny clumps of protein called drusen grow and central vision is slowly lost. The good news is, millions of them continue living their life and continue doing what they always did. VIRGINIA: Alexandria, Fairfax, Leesburg, Manassas, Reston, Tysons Corner, and Vienna. It causes blurred vision and loss of vision in the middle of what you would normally see. See if they qualify for financial assistance through HealthWell’s COVID-19 Frontline Health Care Workers Behavioral Health Fund, or donate to the fund to help frontline workers in need. Dry macular degeneration. By Real World Health Care Editorial Staff, COVID-19 Frontline Health Care Workers Behavioral Health Fund. There can be other complicating conditions in your eyes other than these symptoms which can be worse if you have any health condition. Through patience and determination, you can continue to enjoy a full and productive life. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic, degenerative eye disease. “However, since … “The initial diagnosis can be scary,” said Purnima S. Patel, MD, associate professor of ophthalmology at Emory University who also works at the Atlanta VA Medical Center and serves as a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “Because the central vision is affected, activities like reading and watching TV can be challenging,” she said. Today, the standard therapy involves monthly injections of anti-VEGF drugs, which help reduce the number of abnormal blood vessels in the retina and slow blood vessel leakage. “However, since peripheral vision isn’t affected, people can still get around.”. It is caused by damage to the nerves in your eye. Macular degeneration might be irritating and scary but discuss it with your doctor to understand the disease, your prognosis and how to improve the living. If you have vision loss due to Macular Degeneration, CALL TODAY FOR A FREE PHONE CONSULTATION. Do you know a frontline health care worker in need of treatment to manage the behavioral health effects of the COVID-19 pandemic? With AMD, the extent of vision loss varies from patient to patient. However, there are some things you can do on your next vacation to help prevent macular degeneration: “Because the central vision is affected, activities like reading and watching TV can be challenging,” she said. Macular degeneration is classified into two types. Learn all about macular degeneration. This makes it hard to drive, to read and to see people’s faces. Plus, those injections aren’t nearly as gruesome as everyone fears.”. It is often said that people with macular degeneration can do many of the things they did before, they just have to do it differently. She encourages those with MD to ask their ophthalmologist about assistive devices such as magnifiers and other tools and electronics designed specifically for those with low vision. The most common form of AMD, dry AMD, happens when parts of the eye’s macula (part of the retina) get thinner with age. AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in the U.S. and in many other countries around the globe. According to Dr. Patel, there is no cure for dry AMD. Don’t panic, there are millions of people having this disease and they’re living perfectly normal with it, so can you. Introduction. “The best prognosis for maintaining or recovering your vision is based on the strength of your vision at the time of diagnosis,” she said.