Adults over the age of fifty are at greater risk for developing macular degeneration, a condition that affects the central vision of the eye. Low vision specialists can offer sound medical advice on the prevention of macular degeneration in elderly patients, as well as low vision products that can help improve one's field of vision.

What is Macular Degeneration?

The inner lining of the eye is called the retina. The center of the retina is called the macula, and when this area atrophies or becomes deteriorated, macular degeneration is the result. Scarring or deterioration of the macula results in the loss of central vision, used for reading, driving, and working on computers. There are two types of age related degeneration of the macula, and they are wet and dry. The dry form is due to atrophy of the rods and cones in the retinal part of the eye. The wet form is due to blood capillaries that burst or leak below the macula, causing a loss of vision in the area.

There are signs that doctors look for when diagnosing the degeneration of the macula. Yellow deposits called drusen develop in the macula, and while a person's vision might be quite good when the drusen first develop, if the drusen grow in size and number, it can lead to age related degeneration of the macula.

How is the Prevention of Macular Degeneration in Elderly Patients Accomplished?

People with higher cholesterol levels are also at greater risk for developing the drusen that can lead to a degeneration of the macula. Certain cholesterol lowering medications may help to lessen the growth of drusen.

What Types of Macular Degeneration Treatment Are Available?

If the dry form of degeneration of the macula is present, the macular degeneration treatment can include vitamin supplements taken in high doses. Antioxidants, zeaxanthin and lutein can help slow the effects of rod and cone atrophy, and for some people it can even aid in improving central vision.

Low vision specialists have seen a good new macular degeneration treatment for wet degeneration of the macula. The abnormal blood vessels growth has been lessened by the use of anti-angiogenic drugs. These are painlessly injected into the eye at a rate of once or twice a month, with good results for many patients.

What Other Types of Macular Degeneration Treatment Are Available Through Macular degeneration devices ?

Low vision products are used daily to great effect in terms of Macular degeneration treatment. Such macular degeneration devices can include magnifiers and telescopic glasses. While these types of products are useful for making items appear larger in the central vision range, it is important to note that your peripheral vision may be perfectly normal even though you have degeneration of the macula. So many times these devices are used in conjunction with your regular eye glass prescription to give you the best of both visual ranges.