Macular Degeneration

About one in 10 Americans aged 50 and older have macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects the central vision. At Meriden Eye Care, LLC, with offices in Meriden and Fairfield, Connecticut, skilled optometrist Luiza Youssefi, DO, and the team provide complete macular degeneration care to people of all ages. Treatment prevents the condition from worsening and preserves your vision. Call the nearest Meriden Eye Care, LLC, office to schedule an appointment, or book one online today. 

What are the two types of macular degeneration?

The Meriden Eye Care, LLC, team treats both types of macular degeneration:

Dry (atrophic) macular degeneration

This type of macular degeneration is the most common and causes protein deposits (called drusen) to form under the macula –– the central part of the retina. As the deposits increase in size, they dry out and damage the macula, resulting in central vision loss. 

Wet (exudative) macular degeneration

This type of macular degeneration causes abnormal blood vessels to form beneath your macula and retina. The blood vessels leak blood and fluid, damaging your macula and resulting in central vision loss.

What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?

Macular degeneration symptoms include:

• Difficulty seeing in low light
• Blurred vision
• Changes in the way you see colors
• Low vision
• Blank spots in your field of vision

As macular degeneration worsens, you might notice that straight lines appear curvy or wavy.

How is macular degeneration diagnosed?

Your Meriden Eye Care, LLC, provider reviews your medical records, asks about your symptoms, and completes a comprehensive eye exam. They also order several tests, including an Amsler grid test, a dilated eye exam, and optical coherence tomography.

During an Amsler grid test, you look at a chart with straight lines and a large dot in the center. If the lines appear blurry, wavy, or broken, it indicates macular degeneration.

A dilated eye exam lets your optometrist see the structures at the back of your eye, including your macula and retina, while optical coherence tomography (OCT) takes detailed images of the back of your eye, allowing your provider to confirm retinal and/or macular damage.

How is macular degeneration treated?

There’s no cure for macular degeneration, but healthy lifestyle changes and routine checkups can slow its progression and preserve your vision. The team usually recommends nutritional supplements with specific vitamins and minerals, like vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zinc, and zeaxanthin.

If you have wet macular degeneration, the team prescribes anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections. These medications block the production of VEGF, a protein responsible for making new blood vessels.

Likewise, you might benefit from laser photocoagulation treatment. This treatment uses targeted laser energy to seal and destroy leaking blood vessels in the back of your eye, reducing damage to your macula and retina.

Call the nearest Meriden Eye Care, LLC, office to schedule macular degeneration treatment, or book your appointment online today.