The macula is the central region of the retina (the camera film layer lining the inside of the back of the eyeball). It is responsible for your central vision and diseases that affect this area affect your ability to see objects that you look towards.

Macular degeneration, or age-related macular degeneration, is a condition that affects the central retina, and hence the central vision. It never causes complete blindness as the surrounding peripheral (side) vision remains normal. However the disease impairs a person’s ability to read, recognise faces, drive, and makes it difficult to recognise colours and contrasts.

Macular degeneration commonly occurs in people over the age of 50 years, and the Macula Disease Foundation Australia states that 1 in 7 Australians over age 50 have some evidence of macula degeneration. If there is a direct family history of macular degeneration then your chance of the disease jumps to 50%. It is however, not a normal or inevitable consequence of ageing. You can have the early signs of the disease without symptoms, so having your macula examined is an important part of an eye health check.

Simplistically there are two major “types” of macula degeneration: dry and wet. These terms refer to the presence or absence of fluid and bleeding within and beneath the macula.

Dry macula degeneration is the most common form, accounting for 85-90% of all cases of macula degeneration. It develops gradually and doesn’t cause sudden vision loss or distortion (unless it converts to the wet form of the disease). Over time, areas of the macula can die, leading to corresponding areas of vision that cannot be seen.

Enhanced scanning laser OCT imaging is used to precisely examine retinal layers in dry macular degeneration

Wet macula degeneration accounts for approximately 10-15% of cases. For reasons that are not yet completely understood, blood vessels grow from deep behind the retina into the space immediately beneath the retina. These vessels may leak fluid or bleed, causing scaring of the macula and a corresponding loss of vision. This process can be relatively rapid.

It is possible to have early macular degeneration and have no symptoms – hence the importance of an eye check.

Symptoms of macular degeneration include:

At home you can use an Amsler grid to monitor your central vision. Simply download the chart and follow the instructions.

In the clinic a careful dilated fundus examination and investigations using optical coherence tomography (OCT) are used to assess for the presence of disease. OCT is a non-invasive imaging technique which shows the macula in cross-section in exquisite detail and allows detection of fluid or bleeding within or deep to the retina. At Toowoomba Ophthalmic Consultants we use the Heidelberg Spectralis OCT, which combines scanning laser fundus imaging with simultaneously acquired OCT which provides unmatched precision in the detection of early disease and monitoring during treatment.

DRY MACULAR DEGENERATION
For the dry form of the disease there is currently no treatment. Diet and lifestyle, including the use of an appropriate supplement, can help slow disease progression and vision loss. Adopting the following simple dietary recommendations can assist with your macula health:

There is considerable interest in the use of supplements to boost macular health and assist in macular degeneration. A large medical trial called AREDS, and a follow-up trial called AREDS2 demonstrated that for people with intermediate stage macular degeneration in one or both eyes, or late stage macular degeneration in one eye, taking supplements with the AREDS(2) formula reduced the progression of the disease by approximately 20-25%.

At Toowoomba Ophthalmic Consultants, Dr Holcombe can advise you on your stage of disease and the potential benefit of supplements. Remember though:

WET MACULAR DEGENERATION
The mainstay of treatment for wet macular degeneration is injection of medication directly into the back of the eyeball.

Initially this occurs monthly, but depending on the response of the disease to the injections, the injection interval may be progressively increased resulting in fewer injections to maintain your vision. Whilst these injections cannot cure the disease, they aim to stabilise and maintain the best vision for as long as possible. In some people, treatment can improve vision.