Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

 


Approximately 85% to 90% of the cases of macular degeneration are the dry (atrophic) type. Dry age-related macular degeneration does not involve any leakage of blood or serum. Loss of vision may still occur. Patients with this dry form may have good central vision (20/40 or better) but substantial functional limitations, including fluctuating vision, difficulty reading because of their limited area of central vision, limited vision at night or under conditions of reduced illumination.

Acupuncture for treating diabetic retinopathy In the dry type of macular degeneration, the deterioration of the retina is associated with the formation of small yellow deposits, known as drusen, under the macula. This phenomenon leads to a thinning and drying out of the macula, causing the macula to lose its function. The amount of central vision loss is directly related to the location and amount of retinal thinning caused by the drusen.

The early stage of dry age-related macular degeneration is associated with minimal visual impairment and is characterized by large drusen and pigmentary abnormalities in the macula. Drusen are accumulations of acellular, amorphous debris subjacent to the basement membrane of the retinal pigment epithelium. Nearly all people over the age of 50 years have at least one small druse in one or both eyes. Only eyes with large drusen are at risk for late age-related macular degeneration.

This form of macular degeneration is much more common than the “wet” type of macular degeneration, and it tends to progress more slowly than the “wet” type. However, a certain percentage of the “dry” type of macular degeneration turns to “wet” with the passage of time. There is no known cure for the “dry” type of macular degeneration.


Netra Eye Institute

5001 Hadley Rd, Ste 210, South Plainfield, NJ 07080

(732) 503 9999

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