| Age Related Macular Degenaration (ARMD) is a | | | | addressed quickly. |
| serious eye disease that begins around the age of | | | | One of the first indications that dry ARMD is |
| 50. From that point on, it progresses either slowly | | | | present is when the macula and retina start |
| or, in some cases, rapidly. 'There are two types | | | | accumulating yellow deposits called drusen. (With |
| of ARMD and they are called dry ARMD and wet | | | | wet ARMD blood vessels behind the macula and |
| ARMD. There are very few treatments for dry | | | | under the retina start to leak.) The retina acts as |
| ARMD but the more aggressive wet ARMD can | | | | a camera and sends electrical impulses to the |
| be treated through laser therapy, surgery and | | | | brain allowing a person to see. If the retina is |
| medications. | | | | compromised in any way, the images that are |
| When a person suffers from ARMD, he or she | | | | transmitted are often distorted. This is what |
| has serious difficulty reading, seeing detailed | | | | happens with ARMD. |
| objects and even driving a car. Faces are often | | | | The macula houses the retina in its central portion. |
| hard to recognize. It is a disease that dramatically | | | | It is an extremely sensitive area and helps a |
| affects the central vision field, causing blurred | | | | person distinguish detailed objects that are |
| areas and blind spots. It is a disease that | | | | present in everyday life. It is what focuses on the |
| continues to increase in numbers because the | | | | object being viewed and, if it is damaged by |
| baby boomer generation is starting to make up a | | | | ARMD, detailed information becomes blurred and |
| major portion of the general population. Because | | | | hazy. Detail is extremely difficult to see because |
| so many people are being diagnosed with the | | | | straight lines become wavy and extremely |
| disease, it is something that needs to be | | | | distorted. |