Macular Degeneration

Is your vision blurry? Do straight lines somehow look wavy to you? These are signs of macular degeneration, a condition that can be slowed down if you catch and treat it early. Oceanside Family Optometry offers the latest advances to care for macular degeneration. Find out more by calling our office or requesting an appointment online.

Macular Degeneration Q&A

What is macular degeneration?

Macular degeneration is a leading cause for vision loss in people age 50 and older. Age-related macular degeneration occurs when a part of your retina, called the macula, is damaged. Over time, you lose your vision and can’t see fine details, even when you look closely.

Macular degeneration comes in two forms: wet and dry. Most people have the dry form, which causes you to slowly lose your central vision. The wet version is more serious. It happens when abnormal blood vessels grow and scar your macula, causing what you see to look very blurry.

What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?

The signs of macular degeneration frequently don’t appear until the condition has progressed enough to affect your eyesight. Typical symptoms include:

• Blurry or fuzzy vision
• Straight lines look wavy
• Objects you see seem smaller than they actually are
• Dark, empty, or gray areas appear in your vision

Another sign of macular degeneration is when colors sometimes look more pale than usual.

How is macular degeneration diagnosed?

Your optometrist at Oceanside Family Optometry performs a complete eye examination, using the most advanced technology to assess your eye health and catch the condition before it progresses any further.

Some of the diagnostic devices your optometrist may use include:

• Digital retinal photography – Detects diseases in the sensitive tissue in your eye
• Retinal scanner – Creates high-resolution three-dimensional images to show damage on your macula
• Digital slit lamp imaging – Captures high-quality images of your eye

How is macular degeneration treated?

Although there’s no treatment for dry macular degeneration, you may be able to keep it at bay with vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and copper. Talk to your optometrist at Oceanside Family Optometry before taking supplements.

For wet macular degeneration, medications can curtail the growth of abnormal blood vessels on your retina and prevent leaks that harm your vision. Laser light surgery may also reduce the number of blood vessels and stop leaks.

If you’ve noticed your vision is blurry, call our office today to schedule an appointment or book online today.