Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is very common in the over 60’s. Its origin is multifactorial, the main identified risks factors are smoking, unhealthy diet, luck of physical exercise and sunlight exposure along with a positive family history for AMD. Researches showed evidences that Vitamins in form of greens and fruits or supplements have protective properties in slowing down the progression.

AMD is an eye disease where the central part of the retina (macula), deteriorate because of an ageing process.  This, the most common form and most of the time less visually impairing, is referred to as “dry AMD” opposite to its more aggressive form known as “wet AMD”.  Dry AMD can cause gradual and most of the time mild symptoms as dim or distorted vision and is not treatable. Rarely the dry form can evolve in its more aggressive and vision threatening form, the wet AMD, so called because of the presence of fluid and sometime blood in the macula. Typical symptoms are sudden and rapidly progressive drop of vision and high degree of distortion. Because of its aggressivity Wet AMD required urgent treatment to prevent complete loss of the central vision which will eventually lead to legal blindness.

Treatments: Wet AMD - Regular eye injections.  Dry AMD – there are no treatments

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy is an eye complication of diabetes where high sugar levels in the blood cause damage to the blood vessels in the retina. Those damages can affect either the centre (macula) or the periphery of the back of the eye or both together. In the first case, when damaged vessels leak fluid within the macula, the central vision drops, and eye injections will be required to recover and maintain level of vision.  When is the periphery being affected tiny vessels start growing in the peripheral retina. Initially, this will not cause any symptoms until those vessels start to bleed causing sudden appearance of dark floaters up to complete loss of vision. In this case laser will be the preferred treatment otherwise, if left untreated, those vessels will lead to complete retinal detachment and eventually blindness in the more advanced stages. It can take several eyes to cause serious eye issues but maintaining good control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol can reduce the risk. Because at its early stages of the disease the patient can be asymptomatic it is key attending the diabetic screening service.

Treatments: Eye injections, Laser treatment, Surgery.

Vein Occlusion

Vein Occlusion is where a blood vessel at the back of the eye becomes blocked and burst.  This can cause sudden onset of blurry vision and blindness in the more advanced stages. The most frequent causes are uncontrolled blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes although often no underline cause is identified.

Treatments:  Injections, Laser, Surgery.