Opticians Liverpool Street London: Eye Contact , Moved from Unit 2, The Arcade, Liverpool Street, London, EC2M 7PN - to Salisbury House, 29 Finsbury Circus, EC2M 7AQ(t) 020 7626 7232.
Eye Contact Opticians, London, Liverpool Street & Moorgate

Macular Degeneration is leading cause of sight loss in over 50s

macular-degeneration

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss in the over 50s.

Macular degeneration is a group of chronic retinal eye diseases that cause progressive loss of central vision, leaving the peripheral or side vision intact. It is progressive and painless although it can lead to severe vision loss.

The prevalence of macular degeneration is also on the rise: In 2010, 500,000 in the UK were recorded as suffering macular degeneration, with numbers predicted to increase to 650,000 by 2020.

Underlying cause

During the normal course of vision, there is a transfer of nutrients to the retina and waste products from the retina. With ageing changes, there may be a build-up of these waste products (or ‘drusen’) and they may appear as yellowish deposits under the retina. While smaller drusen are likely to disperse, larger drusen may continue to build up under the retina and cause changes which may progress to the more severe forms which affect vision.

Symptoms

Symptoms of the most common form ‘dry’ AMD  may be a slight haze or colours appearing less bright but later there may be patchy loss of central vision, particularly when reading print.

Symptoms of the less common form ‘wet’ AMD may include straight lines – including doorways or window frames – appearing wavy, faces appearing blurred or distorted.

 If you are concerned about the symptoms of Age Related Macular Degeneration, please contact us. Alternatively, you can book your regular check up with us, which helps to detect symptoms. 

For more information on Macular conditions please go to http://www.macularsociety.org/about-macular-conditions

 

 
Comments