Age Related Degeneration

Its diagnosis and management by our expert optometrist at Vision Opticians, Opticians in Southfields Village.

Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is the commonest cause of blindness in the UK. In this condition the macula (central region of the retina) degenerates irreversibly with age leading to distortions and ultimately of central vision.

This results in great difficulty in everyday tasks including reading, making out peoples faces , reading bus numbers and watching television.

Approximately 10% of patients 66 to 74 years of age will have findings of macular degeneration. The prevalence increases to 30% in patients 75 to 85 years of age. Macular degeneration is more likely to be found in Caucasians than in people of African descent. Smoking tobacco increases the risk of macular degeneration by two to three times that of someone who has never smoked, and may be the most important modifiable factor in its prevention.

At Vision in the Village, our Optometrist plays an important role in the detection and management of people with ARMD. In many cases patients present without any symptoms but the optometrist can detect subtle changes in the macula using an ophthalmoscope.

In its early stages ARMD does not warrant treatment and it is monitored by patients themselves using an Amsler grid, a hand held chart that tests the 20-20 vision when held at a particular distance. An ARMD patient will notice distortions in the chart. Treatment can include using lasers to seal leaky blood vessels or more recently injecting a hormone which slows the growth of new blood vessels.

Regardless of the outcome of treatment, our optometrist at Vision Opticians, Opticians in Southfields village, plays an important role in monitoring the ARMD as well as prescribing low vision aids such as magnifiers, telescopes etc.