Ask an Expert about Macular DegenerationLatest Questions and Answers
My 37-year-old husband, who quit smoking 1 year ago, was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration. His mother and two sisters, who are legally blind, were born with congenital cataracts and glaucoma. Could these conditions all be genetically related even though he has never shown signs of the other disorders? He drives semi-trucks for a living and his vision is critical. At such a young age, how long can we expect before the condition no longer allows him to pass eye exams for driving? Also, what steps can I take to prevent my son from developing this eye condition? [ 05/16/10 ]
Your husband is quite young to have age-related macular degeneration. However, there are many other causes of choroidal neovascularization (development of abnormal blood vessels that leak blood and fluid), including high myopia, eye infections, inflammatory disorders, and hereditary dystrophies. Without knowing more of your husband's history, and the specific type of macular degeneration that he has, I cannot speculate on any risks concerning your son. Current therapies for wet macular degeneration include anti-VEGF injections such as Lucentis and Avastin. With such treatments, many patients are able to preserve their central visual acuity. However, not all types of wet macular degeneration will respond equally well to these medications. Your husband's retinal specialist may be able to offer more insight into these excellent questions. Can the Avastin and Lucentis injections cause hallucinations, or is this symptom caused by the disease itself? My dad’s eye specialist said that his visual hallucinations are more frequent than normal. If the “visions” are scaring the patient and are very frequent is there a medication to treat the anxiety? What type of doctor should be contacted? His primary doctor suggested that my father contact an eye doctor, and the eye doctor said to contact a neurologist or psychologist. He already went to a neurologist and was told that his hallucinations were from his loss of sight related to macular degeneration. What do I do next? I am very confused and he needs help. [ 05/15/10 ]
Avastin and Lucentis injections have not been linked to visual hallucinations. In people with decreased vision due to a variety of causes (advanced macular degeneration, glaucoma, etc.), visual hallucinations may occur. This phenomenon is known as Charles Bonnet syndrome. If your father's hallucinations are related to anxiety, the best person to help manage his anxiety would be either his primary care doctor or a mental health professional. I am trying to find more information specifically on "myopic thinning" in association with myopic wet macular degeneration. I have always been very nearsighted, and at age 48 I developed myopic macular degeneration in the right eye. Now, my left eye is also affected. My doctor informs me that the recent severe vision loss was due to myopic thinning. [ 05/14/10 ]
"Myopic thinning" refers to the fact that a myopic eye is typically longer than the average eye, and therefore the retinal tissue is more "stretched" and thinner than the retina in the average eye. The wall of the eye, or the sclera, may also be thinner and weaker than the average eye, resulting in an out-pouching of the eye known as a staphyloma. Both types of "thinning" can result in decreased vision. Currently there is no cure for this condition. Management is limited to correction of refractive error (with glasses or contact lenses), and treatment of choroidal neovascularization (development of abnormal blood vessels) if it occurs. My 88-year-old mother has dry macular degeneration and is closely monitored by a retina specialist. Recently, she saw an advertisement for eye glasses that cost $2,500 that enhance vision for macular patients. Do you have an opinion concerning the effectiveness of these glasses? Are they worth the money? Why didn't her eye specialist mention them? I would appreciate any information you may have. [ 05/13/10 ]
Without knowing the specific type of glasses you are referring to, it is difficult to comment on their effectiveness. However, there are many high-tech aids for patients with decreased central vision (which occurs in patients with macular degeneration). Some of the aids are simple optical devices to magnify images, while others help magnify objects on a computer screen. Your mother may be a candidate for some of these low vision aids, and her retina doctor can refer her to a low vision specialist, who can offer her more detailed information on which types of aids may be helpful for her particular needs. My mother, who is 82 years old, has wet macular degeneration; however, she refuses to receive any treatments. Last year, her face swelled and her nose was very itchy. It appears to me that she has an allergy. She told me that she has edema and that she will live with the symptoms. Is it possible that these symptoms are caused from the macular degeneration? [ 05/12/10 ]
Age-related macular degeneration is not related to facial swelling or allergies. Your mother should check with her primary care physician as to the cause of her symptoms, but it is highly unlikely that they are related to her macular degeneration. Is AMD hereditary? [ 05/11/10 ]
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) typically affects individuals over 50 years old. Scientific evidence shows that genes may play a role in the development of nearly three out of four cases of this devastating eye disease.
Other gene candidates are being studied to determine their role in AMD. While there is definitely a strong genetic component to this disease, it is highly likely that its development is due to a combination of multiple factors including gene mutations or variations and environmental factors such as sunlight exposure, diet and smoking. Can younger people get macular degeneration? [ 05/10/10 ]
Yes, there are several forms of juvenile macular degeneration (JMD), and all are inherited. The most common form of JMD is Stargardt's disease, also called fundus flavimaculatus or macular dystrophy, which normally develops in the childhood or teen years. Best disease or vitelliform macular degeneration is the second most common form of JMD; symptoms usually occur between birth and age 7. People in their thirties or forties can develop genetic forms of macular disease such as Sorsby's fundus dystrophy, Behr's dystrophy and Doyne's honeycomb retinal dystrophy. Finally, myopic macular degeneration can occur in people who are severely near-sighted due to extreme elongation of the eyeball. This condition can result in macula tears and bleeding beneath the retina. How is AMD diagnosed? [ 05/09/10 ]
To help diagnose AMD, an eye care professional will perform a dilated eye exam to view the retina and optic nerve for damage, a visual acuity test to measure sight from various distances and a fundoscopy to examine the back of the eye. If wet AMD is suspected, fluorescein angiography, in which dye is used to detect leaking blood vessels, may also be performed. The patient might be asked to look at Amsler grid; if the straight lines on the grid appear wavy or distorted, AMD may be developing. Search for a Question
Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is a public service of the American Health Assistance Foundation, and should not in any way substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional and is not intended to constitute medical advice. Although we take efforts to keep the medical information on our website updated, we cannot guarantee that the information on our website reflects the most up-to-date research. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice; all medications and supplements should only be taken under medical supervision. The American Health Assistance Foundation does not endorse any medical product or therapy. Some of the content in this section is adapted from other sources, which are clearly identified within each individual item of information. Last Reviewed On: 07/28/10 |
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