Sight for Senior Eyes: Facts about Macular Degeneration

By Carolyn Campbell

Nadine Provance believes her macular degeneration began in the late 1980s. At that time, she didn’t know she had the condition which now affects many aspects of her everyday life. Today, her vision loss inhibits her ability to participate in favorite pastimes, such as scrapbooking, family history, and using the Internet. She now uses a wristwatch that tells her the time verbally. Her microwave also speaks aloud to inform her of its cooking progress. "If I had gone to a retina specialist earlier, I would see better than I do now," says 85-year-old Provance. She advises other seniors to have regular annual eye exams and to see a doctor right away if they experience or suspect any vision loss.

Dr. Camron Bateman, optometrist with the Eye Foundation of Utah, explains that macular degeneration is a medical condition in which the macula, the area of the retina responsible for central vision, suffers thinning, atrophy, and in some cases, bleeding. This condition is not typically painful, which is why it sometimes goes unnoticed.

The Most Common Cause of Uncorrectable Senior Vision 

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects 11 million people in the United States. This translates to 9% of the population over age 40. Today, macular degeneration is the most common cause of uncorrectable vision loss in seniors. Bateman adds, “The disease is most prevalent among the white population, and its incidence becomes more common with increasing age.”

Two Types of AMD

Bateman explains that AMD is classified as either wet (neovascular) or dry (non-neovascular). About 10% of patients who suffer from macular degeneration have wet AMD. This type of degeneration (wet) occurs as new blood vessels form to improve the blood supply to oxygen-deprived retinal tissue. However, the new vessels are very delicate, and they break easily, causing bleeding as well as damage to surrounding tissue. Treatment of the wet AMD is geared toward eliminating bleeding in the eye and stopping the leakage of blood. 

Dry AMD can be a slowly progressive, chronic disease that may be less visually devastating than the wet form of the disease. Dry AMD may allow a person to maintain central vision for a significant period of time.

Central Vision Loss 

Eye experts, like Bateman, explain that macular degeneration creates central vision loss. "If you are looking at someone’s face as you are talking to them, normally you would see that person’s features clearly, as well as get an idea of their surroundings." A person suffering from macular degeneration can see everything around the person they are focusing on, but they cannot clearly see details of that person’s face—the center of their vision. “Patients describe their own macular degeneration as a dim, washed out, or gray area in their vision," Bateman adds. In more advanced cases, whatever the eye focuses on may be distorted or irregular in appearance. 

Bateman says, "If someone suffers from a severe form of the disease, that person cannot pick up any specific detail from their central vision." Consequently, macular degeneration can affect any activity in life that involves central vision–reading a book, writing a check, paying bills, reading medicine bottles, or watching TV. But seniors can prevent this unfortunate inability to complete daily tasks by learning about risk factors and participating in prevention.

Risk Factors 

Many risk factors influence the probability of having macular degeneration. "Smoking is a big risk factor," says Bateman. “Other risk factors include vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Macular degeneration can also be linked to genetics.”

The best method for early detection of macular degeneration, according to Bateman, is a yearly eye exam, where patients can also learn about successful treatment and stabilization of the condition. "If you are diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, seek the professional advice of an optometrist or ophthalmologist to see what treatment options are available to you. Treatments are handled on a case-by-case basis," explains Bateman. "In the condition’s early stages, an eye doctor can detect symptoms of the disease much earlier than the patient can. Once a patient begins to notice vision loss, the disease is fairly advanced and, consequently, more difficult to treat."

Take Care Of Yourself 

You can reduce your risk of developing macular degeneration–and possibly help stabilize or slow the effects of vision loss—by taking care of yourself. "In specific patient populations, vitamins such as Ocuvite or Icaps have been shown to delay or stop the progression of macular degeneration,” says Bateman. He adds that proper nutrition, including a balanced diet that includes foods known to be high in antioxidants, such as blueberries and dark leafy vegetables (including spinach, collard greens, and Swiss chard), have been shown to improve eye health. 

For more information about macular degeneration, talk to your doctor or call the Eye Foundation of Utah at (801) 268-6408.