August 15, 2013 
The most common initial symptom of a dry form is blurred vision, and it also is possible that patients see a small black spot in the center of their vision field…
Age-related macular degeneration is a disease of the central part of the retina that destroys central vision. A greater risk of developing this disease have people whose family members suffer from age-related macular degeneration. Here are the other risk factors and the chances of success in treating this eye disease today.
Age-related macular degeneration is a disease of the central part of the retina that destroys central vision, and is associated with aging. Macular degeneration affects the location of the clearest vision, yellow spot, also known as macula. It occurs in two forms – dry and wet – and is a major cause of visual impairment and blindness in people older than 50 years.
Dry and wet form of the disease
The cause of the disease is still unknown, but it usually begins in one eye, and in 50 percent of cases within a period of three years it developes in the other eye also. The dynamics of the development of degeneration not the same for everybody. In some people it develops slowly, while in others it has a progressive course. Although the dry form is the more common form and occurs in more than 85 percent of degeneration cases, wet form of the disease causes a significantly higher incidence of loss of the central vision.
Dry form of age-related macular degeneration causes a slow deterioration of retinal pigment cells and decay of photoreceptors. Vision loss can be gradual or sudden, depending on the course of the disease; if dry degeneration is advanced or it has turned into a wet form of the disease. Unfortunately, today it is still impossible to know in advance whether the dry form of macular degeneration will convert into wet form.
The wet form of age-related macular degeneration is characterized by the growth of new blood vessels under the macula. These newly formed blood vessels are fragile and sensitive and often rupture, leading to bleeding and leakage of fluid. The result is thickening and damage to the macula with image distortion and rapid loss of central vision.
Who does age-related macular degeneration affect?
Age-related macular degeneration does not hurt. The most common initial symptom of the dry form is blurred vision, and the result is lower ability to recognize details and things ahead. If a large number of photoreceptors in the macula gets damaged, it is possible for patients to see a small but growing black spot in the center of the visual field. On the other hand, the classic initial symptom of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration is a distortion of the straight line or the image, which is called metamorphopsia.
The etiology of age-related macular degeneration for now is still unknown, but it is known that an important role is played by genetic inheritance. People whose family members suffer from age-related macular degeneration have a greater risk of developing the disease, while the other risk factors include age over 60 years, female gender, smoking and obesity.
While there is no effective treatment of the dry form of macular degeneration, ten years ago photodynamic therapy has started to be used in the wet form treatment. This laser therapy has been largely abandoned due to the emergence of a new, more advanced treatment. Today, the wet form of age-related macular degeneration is treated effectively with so-called smart drugs, or anti VEGF therapy. These drugs stop the growth and lead to the withdrawal of new blood vessels, resulting in less bleeding or complete end of it , reducing edema, i.e. thickening of the macula. This therapy is leading in treating the wet form of age-related macular degeneration.
Taken from: www.ordinacija.hr