Macular Degeneration- The Basics by Yasser Elshatory, MD, PhD
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss in people 50 years and older. The single-most important factor in this condition is age, and the longer we live, the more common this condition becomes. A lot of progress has been made in the last ten years in the treatment of AMD with more innovative alternatives in trial today that will decrease the burden of treatment and increase its effectiveness. Many people with dry macular degeneration do well and have little to no visual symptoms. Such patients require observation alone, as they only possess early features of the condition known as drusen, which are a deposition of material (protein and lipids) under the retina. If these drusen are large enough or numerous enough, an over-the-counter vitamin containing zinc, copper, lutein, xeaxanthin, vitamin C and vitamin E has been found to reduce the risk of progression to more advanced stages of macular degeneration by 25%. Image showing hallmark deposits of d