The Macula

The macula is very important and is responsible for what we see straight in front of us, allowing us to see fine detail, for activities such as reading and writing, as well as our ability to see colour.

Sometimes, the delicate cells of the macula become damaged and stop working, and there are many different conditions that can cause this. If it occurs later in life, it is called age-related macula degeneration. Unfortunately, we do not yet know why this happens.

What Is Macula Degeneration?

Broadly speaking, there are two types of macula degeneration, usually referred to as “wet” and “dry.” This is not a description of what the eye feels like, but what the ophthalmologist (eye specialist) can see when looking at the macula.

Only about 10% of all people with macula degeneration have the “wet” type, all others are affected by the “dry” type.

“Wet” macula degeneration results in a build-up of fluid under the retina. This causes bleeding and scarring which leads to sight loss. It can progress rapidly, normally within a few months, and sometimes responds to laser treatment in the early stages or lucentis injections.

“Dry” macula degeneration usually develops slowly, often over years. There is as yet no treatment. New evidence, however, is suggesting eye specific supplements, such as Macu Shield, may slow down this process. The important components in this which help the eyes are Lutein, Zeaxanthin and Meso-Zeaxanthin.

Macula degeneration usually involves both eyes, although one may be affected long before the other. This sometimes makes the condition difficult to notice at first because the sight in the unaffected eye is compensating for the loss of sight in the affected eye.

Keep Reading!

You cannot wear out your sight, so do not be afraid to continue to use the unaffected eye as normal.

Macula degeneration is not painful, and almost never leads to total blindness. It is the most common cause of poor sight in people over 60, but very rarely leads to complete sight loss because only the central vision is affected.

Macula degeneration never affects vision at the outer edges of the eye. This means that almost everyone with macula degeneration will have enough side (or peripheral) vision to get around and keep their independence.

In the early stages, your central vision may be blurred or distorted, with objects looking an unusual size or shape and straight lines appearing wavy or fuzzy. This may happen quickly, or develop over several months. You may be very sensitive to light, or actually see lights, shapes and colours that are not there. This may cause occasional discomfort, but otherwise macula degeneration is not painful.

Because macula degeneration affects the centre of the retina, people with the advanced condition will often notice a blank patch, or dark spot, in the centre of their sight. This makes reading, writing and recognising small objects or faces very difficult.

What Can I Do?

If you suspect that you may have macula degeneration, but there are no sudden symptoms, you should see your optometrist (optician) or family doctor (GP) who will refer you to an eye specialist.

If there is a rapid, significant change in vision, then you should consult your optometrist or local hospital’s accident and emergency department immediately.

If you have macula degeneration in one eye, and you start getting sudden symptoms in your other eye, then you should go to the hospital that usually looks after you, or ask your GP to arrange an emergency appointment, as soon as possible. This will ensure that if treatment can be done, you get it within a few days.

As part of our extended eye examination we can now perform two specific tests to look in more detail at the macula region of the retina.

OCT (Ocular Coherence Tomography)

The OCT now allows the examination of the macula structure in much more detail and if necessary in 3D.  It is similar to an MRI scan but uses light waves not electro-magnetic waves.

M-POD (Macula Pigment Optical Densitometer)

This instrument will give us a quantative measurement of the amount of pigment in the macula.  Recent research is now indicating that low macula pigment density may be a significant risk factor in the development of macula degeneration (other risk factors include age, family history, smoking, ultra-violet light and possible obesity).

Low pigment density can be improved by either modifying the diet to include more green leafed vegetables, e.g. spinach and kale, as well as cranberries and blueberries.  If this is not possible or the diet is already rich in these the you can take supplements such as Macu Shield which contains Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Meso Zeaxanthin as well as other oxidants.