Hidak and B&bit Gangnam Bright World, the story of the human eye that 4 ophthalmologists find out together. Every week we introduce diseases that damage your eyes and various ways to keep your eyes healthy.
There is a disease in which the center of an object looks blurry and curved. This is ‘macular degeneration’, where degeneration occurs in the area called the macula, where the focus of vision is focused. According to data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of macular degeneration patients increased from 146,446 in 2016 to 201,367 in 2020. Knowing the risk factors and symptoms of macular degeneration can help prevent it. Director Na Gun-hooLet’s look at the information regarding this macular degeneration one by one.
What is macular degeneration?
Our eyes have an organ that acts as a camera film called the retina. It is the retina that allows light entering through the cornea to form an image. The macula, which is responsible for 90% of vision in the retina, is located at the very center of the retina. The macula is a small but sensitive area and is responsible for 90% of vision, allowing us to see the center of an object and distinguishing colors by recognizing objects.
A disease that affects the macula is called macular degeneration. It is the most common disease that causes blindness in people over the age of 65 and is considered one of the three leading causes of blindness in Koreans. Macular degeneration causes vision loss, making it difficult to see both near and far. If your vision suddenly deteriorates and objects look distorted or the center of your field of vision is black, it is recommended to see an ophthalmologist immediately.
Two types of macular degeneration
There are two main types of macular degeneration: dry and wet. First, dry macular degeneration accounts for regarding 90% of macular degeneration. The degree of visual impairment is mild, and in most cases it does not significantly affect vision. In comparison, habit accounts for only 10% of all cases, but accounts for 90% of severe vision loss due to macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration is known as blindness when macular degeneration occurs. In the wet case, new blood vessels grow under the macula, and the new blood vessels themselves and bleeding caused by the new blood vessels cause serious visual impairment. Sometimes it starts as dry and becomes a habit over time, and sometimes it is observed as a habit from the beginning.
A strong risk factor for macular degeneration is older age
The exact cause of macular degeneration is still unknown. However, commonly known risk factors for macular degeneration are △age (especially following age 75) △cardiovascular disease △smoking △hypercholesterolemia △excessive UV exposure △low blood antioxidant concentration △genetic predisposition. In addition, △high myopia △high fat, high calorie diet △stress △high blood pressure △obesity are known to cause macular degeneration.
In particular, studies have shown that smokers have a 50% higher risk of developing macular degeneration compared to nonsmokers. This is why smoking cessation is essential to reduce the incidence of macular degeneration. In addition, severe myopia increases the risk of developing macular degeneration. When myopia is severe, the length of the eyeball increases, the retinal nerve cannot withstand it, and the nerves in the macula also stretch, and myopic macular degeneration may occur.
How to diagnose macular degeneration
First, a self-diagnosis method for macular degeneration is introduced. If two or more of the symptoms below apply, you should be tested for macular degeneration.
– Decreased eyesight, that is, the ability to distinguish the shape of objects.
– Lines such as tiles or center line in the bathroom look bent.
– When reading a book or newspaper, there are spaces in the text.
– A permanent black dot appears in the center of the field of vision as the contrast decreases.
– The object looks distorted.
– The sense of contrast (the ability to distinguish colors and shades) is poor.
– There is a black or empty part in the center of the object.
If signs of macular degeneration are suspected, visual acuity and intraocular pressure are measured, and additional tests such as fluorescein angiography or retinal tomography are performed to diagnose macular degeneration. Dry macular degeneration is treated by monitoring the progression to wet macular degeneration using methods such as retinal tomography and autofluorescence fundus imaging.
Since there are few early symptoms, the timing of treatment is important.
Macular degeneration is one of the three major blindness diseases along with glaucoma and cataracts. Macular degeneration is classified as one of the leading causes of blindness among them. This is because there are few early symptoms. It is only recognized following abnormalities in the eyes, such as sudden deterioration of vision, appear, and many people miss the treatment time by visiting the hospital with the disease in a fairly advanced state. Because macular degeneration often occurs with age, it is easy to ignore it as presbyopia, so you need to be careful.
Treatment methods for macular degeneration include △intraocular injection of angiogenesis inhibitors △photodynamic therapy △laser photocoagulation △surgical surgery △various drug treatments. With the recent introduction of the angiogenesis inhibitor method, the concept of macular degeneration is changing from a blindness disease to a disease in which vision is maintained or improved. This is because it has been confirmed in several studies that intraocular injection of angiogenesis inhibitors can suppress the deterioration of visual acuity caused by macular degeneration and also have an effect of improving visual acuity. However, prevention of macular degeneration is the most important because it is difficult to completely restore vision even with treatment.
How to prevent macular degeneration
It is important to detect and treat macular abnormalities early with regular eye exams. In particular, if you are over the age of 50, it is recommended to visit an ophthalmologist once every 3 months for an examination. In daily life, sunscreen is important, such as wearing sunglasses, and smoking more than doubles the risk of macular degeneration, so quitting smoking is essential. Controlling your weight and exercising on a regular basis can also help. Supplementing with antioxidants such as lutein, which is good for the eyes, and taking nutritional supplements containing vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-A-carotene, omega 3, and anthocyanin are also recommended.
Help = Hidak Consulting Doctor Geon-hoo Na (B&bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology Specialist)