Macular Degeneration in Two Forms
Macular Degeneration is a disease of the eye that gradually causes loss of a person’s central vision. Approximately 1.75 million Americans suffer from vision loss associated with the disease (All About Vision 1). The leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 60, Macular Degeneration, exists in two types (National Eye Institute 1). Both the wet and dry versions of the disease have similarities in risk factors, but differ in symptoms and treatments.
Although the causes of each type of the Macular Degeneration are different, the risk factors are essentially the same. The wet form of the disease is caused by small blood vessels that grow beneath the retina. The blood vessels leak blood and fluid and retinal cells die, resulting in permanent damage and rapid vision loss. Only about ten percent of people with Macular Degeneration suffer from this more advanced form. The more common dry form occurs when the retinal cells breakdown slowly. Usually vision loss is not as severe in the dry form as the wet form, though the dry form can progress with gradual degrading cells that cause severe loss of vision (All About Vision 1). The risk factors for each form are age (over 60), smoking, obesity, race (Caucasian), family history, high blood pressure, lighter eye color, and gender (female). Prescription drug side effects can also pose a threat (All About Vision 3).
Symptoms for both types of the disease differ, except one, neither is painful. Normally, the earliest symptom of the wet form is that straight lines appear wavy. Also, a blind spot can occur which could cause central vision loss. The wet form has two categories; Occult and Classic (All About Vision 2). The Occult version is when le...
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...ed stages. The National Eye Institute is currently conducting studies including possible healthy cell transplants and certain anti-inflammatory drugs (National Eye Institute 7).
Macular Degeneration exists in two forms: wet and dry. The lesser of two evils does not prevail. The wet form has treatments in hopes of slowing progression, but causes quicker and more severe vision loss. The dry form is usually slower at reaching more severe levels of vision loss, but no F.D.A. approved treatment exists. One can only imagine the devastation caused by this disease, taking someone’s sight away after 60 years of vision.
Works Cited
Haddrill, Marilyn. Slonim, Charles, M.D.
“Age Related Macular Degeneration.”
All About Vision 23 June 2011
Web. 2 Oct. 2011
National Eye Institute.gov Sept. 2009
Web. 2 Oct. 2011
In the end, regardless of the scientific methods that could be used to treat different diseases and more specifically retinal degeneration, many studies should be conducted determine the potential clinical application of photobiomodulation with NIR for treatment of different injuries and disorders.
Loss of vision in one or both eyes
...res or treatments. It just goes to show how important HeLa cells have been to medicine and researches.
Saxena, Rohit, Diguijay Singh, and Praveen Vashist. “Glaucoma: An Emerging Peril.” Indian Journal of Community Medicine 38.3 (2013): 135-7: Proquest. Web. 7 Jan 2014.
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Hearing loss, abnormalities with pigmentation of hair, eyes, and skin, and other minor defects are some symptoms of Waardenburg Syndrome. There are many ways to diagnose the disorder and many treatments for the symptoms of it as well.
Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over the age of 50. Every ten years after the age of 50 the prevalence of this disease increases exponentially. Many different factors contribute to the development of AMD including genetic, environment, and metabolic functions. Aside from smoking, abnormal blood pressure, and an unhealthy diet low in fruits and vegetables, many more studies are concluding that similar inflammatory and oxidative processes seen in other age related diseases are also playing a key role in the development of AMD. This disease affects the central areas of the retina and choroid. In return central vision is impaired while peripheral vision is usually not lost. AMD is seen in two different forms, the earlier nonneovascular (dry) type and the more advanced neovascular (wet) type. Each form has its own specific pathology and unique characteristics that set them apart. Fatty, protein deposits called drusens may be the key risk factor in understanding dry AMD pathology, progression, and treatment. Once the more advanced wet AMD is diagnosed, pathology and treatment are targeted around the formation and destruction of abnormal blood vessels, characteristic of the wet AMD eye. The increasing prevalence of AMD has influenced more investigation into what factors can be modulated to prevent the onset or to stop the progression of AMD. Early diagnosis is very important because this is when an eye doctor can spot the early signs of the disease through ultrasound or angiography. This text will discuss the pathology of drusens and the role of inflammation and oxidation in the aged eye. By better understanding these processes more effective treatment approaches and preventive...
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The purpose statement from my articles ( Arnetz et al., Berry at al., and Khadjehturian,) all helped to comprehensively answer both my PICOT and Clinical questions.
Many signs include a "white pupil," also known as leukocoria. Retinoblastoma can occur in either one or two eyes (Paul T. Finger, Pg. 1). This abnormal white pupillary reflex is sometimes referred to as a cat's eye reflex. Another sign of retinoblastoma is a crossed eye (Ambramson, Ch3). Leukocoria doesn't always end up as being retinoblastoma, it can even result in: congenital cataract, Toxocara canis, Coat's disease, and persistent hypertrophic primary vitreous (PHPV) (Finger, Pg.2). Retinoblastoma occurs when there's a mutation or deletion of the q14 band of chromosome 13 (Finger, Pg. 1). Symptoms can be painful if not treated quickly. Some include a red, painful eye, swelling of the surrounding eye, poor vision, dilated pupil, even extra fingers or toes, and retardation (Ambramson, Ch3).
Open-angle glaucoma - With this form of glaucoma, the loss of vision occurs so gradually it is rarely noticed. However, as eye damage increases, you will eventually find that you have lost a lot of areas of your peripheral vision, especially the field of vision near your nose. As larger areas of your peripheral vision fade, you may develop tunnel vision -- vision that has narrowed so you see only what is directly in front of you. If glaucoma is not treated, even this narrowed vision disappears into blindness. Once gone, areas of lost vision canno...
Robert, a 65 year-old male, has trouble reading fine detail, especially out of his central vision. He complains that his vision is blurred and that it is harder to see while operating a motor vehicle. In addition, sometimes objects appear wavy or crooked, which impairs his vision. His worst symptoms were that he occasionally lost the ability to distinguish between the features of familiar faces and he had a localized blind spot. Robert is not alone; many people suffer from symptoms related to loss and distortion of the visual field. He suffers from macular degeneration, the leading cause of decreased vision loss in the United States, especially for people over the age of 50 (Philippi, 2000).
Ed. David Zieve. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.