Macular Degeneration Prevention and Treatment

Aging makes a particular person gradually lose his or her senses including eyesight. Vision is probably one of the most important out of all the senses that people have, and yet the aging process causes it to deteriorate eventually, which may lead to blindness. One of the main causes of losing eyesight is macular degeneration. It can affect people of all ages. Still, most of the people who are affected by this condition are those who are already about fifty to sixty years of age. Some lose sight because of having diabetic retinopathy and seek various treatments including laser eye procedures and other methods. In this article, focus will be given on how to prevent and treat macular degeneration and save the eyesight.

The macula in the eye is a most important component in the vision of a person. However, it can degenerate because of different factors including hypertension, genetics, high level of cholesterol, damage from the sun and smoking. This condition is slow moving and affects one eye first then the other one later. It can take several years before an individual may notice that they are suffering from the condition and by the time that they do notice it, it might be too late already. This is why it is important for everyone to take very good care of vision health and undergo regular checks.

How to Prevent This Condition

A good diet can always help take care of vision. Experts often recommend an increased intake of foods that are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. This includes incorporating food items that are high in beta carotene, vitamin D, E, C and zinc. Taking as much important nutrition can always make the overall health of a person, which in turn can maintain his or her vision. Aside from taking a good and nutritious diet, macular degeneration can also be prevented by a nonsurgical treatment called Micro Current Stimulation, which generally improves the health of the macula. Using low vision aids will also protect the overall vision of a person and keeping a healthy lifestyle that will not make the eye suffer. If it is possible to read books or newspapers only in good lighting, individuals must do so.

How to Treat Macular Degeneration

Many experts also recommend continuing the same nutrition rich diet in order to cure this condition. Care can be done at home, and this includes taking an increased dose of zinc and antioxiants and other natural supplements. Most doctors would ask their patients to stop smoking in order to stop the condition from progressing. There are also laser eye treatments that many people have undergone and which have shown a lot of improvement in their visions. This treatment can either stop the degeneration, or at least slow it down. Photodynamic therapy is also available, but it takes about up to a couple of years to complete the treatment. There are also a number of drugs or medications that doctors may prescribe in order to treat macular degeneration. Surgical procedures are also available.

In essence, macular degeneration can cause blindness if it is not treated appropriately and in a timely manner. One of the ways to prevent this is to make sure that people have their eyes tested annually. Once every year is enough, especially if macular degeneration runs in the family. Screening for this disease is mostly free in most clinics because of several groups that are advocates for the prevention of this condition.

As people grow older, there are many age related diseases that may inevitably happen and this includes macular degeneration. Once any individual reaches the age of 60, he or she will be more prone to acquiring this eye condition. Keeping a healthy lifestyle by eating the right kind of foods such as vegetables and fish as well as exercising regularly can help reduce the risk of this disease and other eye conditions including diabetic retinotherapy. Because of the advancements in health and science, various treatments and preventive measures are now available such as laser eye treatment.

Kate Dawson writes articles for Immaculate about a leading centre for ophthalmic services and laser eye surgery. The centre provides a range of different services for many different eye conditions, including macular degeneration and diabetic retinotherapy.

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