Age-related Macular Degeneration impacts the macula, which processes central vision on the retina. The macula is rich with cells that help us with sharp and clear vision. You are reading this text thanks to your macula. We use it to recognize faces and read detail. With age, lipid deposits (drusen) begin to appear on the macula, or blood and fluids leak into it leading to lesions and scars on it. Over time, this impairs central vision.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) may appear first in one eye and later the next. It may impact vision differently in the two eyes. The risk of AMD increases with age. More women are at risk of AMD than men.

AMD has two types: wet and dry. 

• Wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
  Also known as “exudative” AMD, this condition is characterized by the ‘oozing’ of blood and retinal fluids on to the macula from underlying tissue. A majority of the patients who came to LVPEI in the past decade for AMD treatment had wet AMD. This type is severe and leads to total vision loss. 
• Dry Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
  In this type, there is a buildup of lipid deposits called drusen across the macula. While these deposits are common with age, in AMD they are big and grow together. While less common in India, this is the dominant form in European populations. 

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is not evident to the patient until it is too late and there is substantial and irreparable vision loss. This is why periodic comprehensive eye exams are critical among those who are 45 years old and older. Some of the risk factors and signs of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are:

• Diabetes and hypertension
• A history of smoking
• A nutrient-poor diet
• Family history of AMD
• Older age
• There is some evidence that women are at more risk than men  [1].

At the clinic, patients suspected of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) are asked to look at the Amsler grid. Here is a representation of the distortion that may be visible for people with AMD when they look at the Amsler grid.

There is no cure for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Vision lost to AMD is irreparable. However, some therapy is available to arrest its progression. These include:

• Anti-VEGF medication: In Wet AMD, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs can help arrest the build-up of blood vessels in the macula. These are delivered as intravitreal injections deep into the eye by trained retinal specialists.
• Clinical trials: LVPEI is a site for some promising clinical trials that are looking to arrest and reverse dry AMD.[You can read about it here.