Our eyesight is of utmost importance because our daily activities greatly depend on it, not to mention our enjoyment of life. Eye diseases and disorders are very common which sometimes makes keeping our eyesight safe a challenging task. Macular degeneration is one eye disorder that is considered an age-related condition. Adults aged 60 or older are usually the ones who are suffering from it and this is one of the leading causes of blindness affecting millions of people in the United States. In this disease, the center of our vision field is severely affected.
The macula, which is the center area of our retina, is the part where it gets affected and damaged with macular degeneration. We need our central vision for our eyes because this is required to see objects clearly and is helpful in our everyday activities. Blurred vision, wavy vision or perhaps noticing a blind spot usually present as the symptoms that occur with this type of disease. The peripheral vision is not affected though as it only prevents people from being able to read or recognize faces.
There are two forms of macular degeneration. One is known as wet macular degeneration and the other is called dry macular degeneration. The first one occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow and this leads to the leakage of fluid and blood. This should not be overlooked since this can cause serious damage to your eyes and may result to rapid central vision loss. On the other hand, dry macular degeneration happens when the macula simply wears out as a result of the aging process. This is the more common among the two and progresses more slowly compared to the wet form.
There are many risk factors that are associated with macular degeneration such as the disease is considered to be hereditary which means that there when there is a family history of the disease; relatives are more likely to develop macular degeneration. Aging in general can also cause macular degeneration, although other high risk groups include smokers and those with hypertension, elevated cholesterol or those who are obese or consume a highly fatty diet.
Ranibizumab is one of the several treatments used for this disease today which was made with the help of modern science. This is injected once each month directly into the eye and this type of drug is known as a monoclonal antibody treatment. In this process, antibodies are used to stimulate the patient's immune system to target and attack specific cells. This drug is created with the help of custom monoclonal antibodies, and this treatment is used only to treat the wet form of the disease.
Other alternative treatment includes helping to teach an affected person how to better use peripheral vision to help them navigate daily life more easily. There are also special types of computer screens and adaptive eyeglass lenses that are made specifically people suffering from this disease.
The macula, which is the center area of our retina, is the part where it gets affected and damaged with macular degeneration. We need our central vision for our eyes because this is required to see objects clearly and is helpful in our everyday activities. Blurred vision, wavy vision or perhaps noticing a blind spot usually present as the symptoms that occur with this type of disease. The peripheral vision is not affected though as it only prevents people from being able to read or recognize faces.
There are two forms of macular degeneration. One is known as wet macular degeneration and the other is called dry macular degeneration. The first one occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow and this leads to the leakage of fluid and blood. This should not be overlooked since this can cause serious damage to your eyes and may result to rapid central vision loss. On the other hand, dry macular degeneration happens when the macula simply wears out as a result of the aging process. This is the more common among the two and progresses more slowly compared to the wet form.
There are many risk factors that are associated with macular degeneration such as the disease is considered to be hereditary which means that there when there is a family history of the disease; relatives are more likely to develop macular degeneration. Aging in general can also cause macular degeneration, although other high risk groups include smokers and those with hypertension, elevated cholesterol or those who are obese or consume a highly fatty diet.
Ranibizumab is one of the several treatments used for this disease today which was made with the help of modern science. This is injected once each month directly into the eye and this type of drug is known as a monoclonal antibody treatment. In this process, antibodies are used to stimulate the patient's immune system to target and attack specific cells. This drug is created with the help of custom monoclonal antibodies, and this treatment is used only to treat the wet form of the disease.
Other alternative treatment includes helping to teach an affected person how to better use peripheral vision to help them navigate daily life more easily. There are also special types of computer screens and adaptive eyeglass lenses that are made specifically people suffering from this disease.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves writing regarding biomedical research. For more information regarding custom monoclonal antibody production service, please visit the PrimmBiotech.com website now.
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