How is Macular Degeneration diagnosed?

When seeing an eye care professional, you should receive a comprehensive eye examination. This will perform a retinal examination to help diagnose macular degeneration. If a wet macular degeneration is detected or suspected a special test will be performed, which is called “fluorescein angiography”.

Many people ask, “What causes macular degeneration?” The answer is, there is no one certain thing that causes macular degeneration. However, there does appear to be certain risk factors, some of which include:
• Smoking
• Age
• Gender (women have a slightly higher risk)
• Family History
• High Cholesterol
• Caucasians – (are more like to have macular degeneration than African Americans)
• There are also suggestions that the following have been factors associated with increased risks: visible and UV light, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, light skin color and if you have blue eyes.

Can Macular Degeneration be treated?

Currently, there is no treatment for dry macular degeneration. However, if you have wet macular degeneration, there are intraocular injections that are the mainstay of treatment. Some of these are Avastin®, Lucentis® and Eylea®. One must know that vision that has already been lost may be restored in “some” patients, but not all. If vision cannot be restored, there are low-vision aids that exist that can help improve the quality of life.