Tuesday, 07 February 2012
Home Health Sight
Sight problems for the elderly
sight_problems_for_the_elderlyAge related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition that effects the tiny part of the retina at the back of your eye, which is called the macula..


AMD causes problems with your central vision, but does not lead to total loss of sight and is not painful. AMD affects the vision you use when you're looking directly at something, for example when you're reading, looking at photos or watching television. AMD may make this central vision distorted or blurry and, over a period of time, it may cause a blank patch in the centre of your vision.

Causes

At the moment, the exact cause for AMD is not known. Some things are thought to increase your chances of developing AMD:

  • Age: AMD develops as people grow older, and is most often seen in people over the age of 65, elderly, although it can develop in people who are in their forties and fifties
  • Gender: more women have AMD than men, probably because women tend to live longer than men.
  • Genes: some genes have been identified which seem to be linked to the development of AMD in some people. This has been discovered by looking at families with more than one member who has AMD, but not all AMD is thought to be inherited
  • Smoking: smoking greatly increases your risk of developing AMD. Studies also show that stopping smoking can reduce your risk of developing AMD
  • Sunlight: some studies suggest that exposure to high levels of sunlight (particularly     the UV light contained in sunlight) throughout your life may increase your risk of developing AMD. Wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from the UV light in sunlight is a good idea for everyone throughout their life
  • What you eat: a number of studies have looked at diet as a risk factor for someone developing AMD. At the moment there isn't agreement on how much of a risk factor diet is. There is some evidence that vitamins A, C and E and zinc may help to slow the progression of AMD in people who already have the condition.

 

Although you cannot change your age or genes, current thinking is that protecting your eyes from the sun, eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and stopping smoking may all help to keep your eyes as healthy as possible.

 

Unfortunately, because the exact cause of AMD is not known you may develop this condition even if you don't have any of these risk factors.


Find out more
RNIB or call 0845 766 9999
www.maculardisease.org or call 01264 350551 for more details about protecting your eyes and different eye conditions.

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