Age-related macular degeneration
What it is?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye condition among people age 50 and older. It causes permanent and irreversible sight loss, affecting approximately 600,000 people within the UK.
AMD affects the light-sensitive layer at the back of the retina, the macula, causing central vision to become blurred or reduced in one or both eyes. It can be diagnosed as either wet or dry. Dry AMD has slower progression than wet AMD, affecting one in every 10 people diagnosed. The cause of AMD is not yet known but the environment and genetics have an effect on its development.
Find out more about the cause and symptoms
Treatments
Currently there is no treatment for Dry AMD. Antioxidant vitamins supplements such as Vitamin C, E, beta-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin and zine may help protect the macular. Wet AMD can be treated if it is diagnosed early enough through a series of injections to the eye but can also involve laser therapy.
Research could see an end to eye injections
A new Fight for Sight funded research project could help see an end to eye injections for patients with (AMD). Researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Bristol are developing medicines that could be given as drops rather than through the usual method of eye injection. This research could provide a much more comfortable treatment for patients without painful injections.
Belinda’s story
Belinda was diagnosed back in 2010 with Dry AMD during a routine eye test. As time progressed her central eyesight worsened and she developed both wet and dry AMD. Belinda has had to modify her lifestyle, forced to give up her passions, like photography (she once took a photo of Mikhal Gorbachev) and bookbinding.
Belinda said: “So many people have a connection to sight loss, whether it’s first-hand experience or through a loved one. I believe the only way forward is through eye research. I want to support Fight for Sight and their mission to prevent sight loss”.