| Unfortunately there is no medically proven | | | | fluid or blood causing the blindness. The treatment |
| treatment available for DRY AMD, but if you | | | | actually targets a specific protein which is |
| suffer from the wet variety, laser beams and | | | | responsible for the growth of new blood vessels. |
| drugs are now able to halt the progression of the | | | | The dry variety accounts for between 85 and |
| visual loss and in some cases restore a degree of | | | | 90% of all cases of this visual impairment, and as |
| vision to the patient. | | | | mentioned previously, there is no proven medical |
| Currently there are three types of treatment | | | | cure. The inability of the cells in the affected area |
| available for the wet condition also known as | | | | to function efficiently is due to the aging process |
| neovascular employing a hot laser, a cold laser and | | | | and free radical attack. A healthy nutritional diet |
| anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. | | | | which includes antioxidants will mop up the excess |
| The process using a hot laser to seal leaking blood | | | | free radicals in the body, but at the moment |
| vessels is called Photocoagulation but can only be | | | | there is no antidote to old age. |
| used in a small number of cases where the | | | | Family history of the disease, smoking and high |
| leaking blood vessels are not located directly in | | | | blood pressure could potentially increase your risk |
| the centre of the macula. | | | | of developing sight disorders by a factor of two. |
| Photodynamic therapy, on the other hand, uses a | | | | There is, however, mounting evidence to suggest |
| cold laser beam in conjunction with drugs. The | | | | that betacarotene, zinc and vitamins C and E will |
| drug in question reaches the abnormal blood | | | | help retard the pace of visual loss. And two |
| vessels in the eye, via the blood stream, and | | | | carotenoid dietary substances, lutein and |
| coats them. The coated blood vessels are then | | | | zeaxanthin, have been shown to delay and some |
| destroyed when a light is shone on them to | | | | suggest prevent the onset of the condition. |
| activate the drug. | | | | The use of eye vitamins that these supplements |
| The third method involves an injection of | | | | are sometimes called has not been clinically |
| anti-vascular endothelial growth factor under the | | | | proven to be beneficial as yet, but research is |
| macular itself. It was discovered that large | | | | well underway to establish the facts. Prevention |
| amounts of the growth factor in the body (VEGF) | | | | has to better than cure so there are many things |
| result in a proliferation of new and fragile blood | | | | that you can do as an individual to reduce your |
| vessels. This fragility causes the vessels to leak | | | | risk factor. And it is never too late to start. |