Wet macular degeneration is a form of macular degeneration that involves leaking blood vessels in the eye. It is a rare form of regular (dry) macular degeneration, but it is the one that is responsible for the most severe vision loss. The estimates have it that only around 1 out of 10 people with macular degeneration have the wet form, but it is responsible for ninety percent of vision loss due to the disease. While it sounds scary, there are things you can do about it to prevent the damage if you catch it in time.
Below is a brief overview of the symptoms, the risk factors, as well as what the treatments are.
Symptoms Of Wet Macular Degeneration
The symptoms of wet AMD are similar to regular age-related macular degeneration. The primary ones are a loss of central vision and difficulty seeing straight lines (they appear wavy). With macular degeneration, you have fine peripheral vision—the problem is that your center field of vision begins to deteriorate. A good way to test if you see lines straight is to look at the Amsler grid.
However, it should be noted that you will not be able to see leaking blood vessels. This is something that you need an expert for. For this reason, if you have any loss of central vision, it's important to see a eye doctor. They will be able to determine if there are leaking blood vessels, or if you simply have regular macular degeneration.
Risk Factors
The risk factors for wet AMD are the same as for regular macular degeneration. A history of smoking is one, as is obesity. However, there are other risk factors that have nothing to do with lifestyle. For instance, people with blue eyes have a much higher risk that those with dark eyes. It's also most likely to affect people over the age of 65. Plus, if there were people in your family that had this problem, then you are also more likely to deal with it.
Treatment
When you visit your optometrist, you should ask them about chemical treatments. There are drugs that can be injected into the eye (it sounds more painful than it is) which can prevent the blood from leaking out of the blood vessels. The reason this is important is because it's this leaking blood that is scarring the macula and causing a loss of vision. It's important to start the treatments as soon as possible because, while you cannot reverse damage, you can stop further damage and preserve the eyesight you still have.
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