AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration)

AMD causes no pain or discomfort aside from the central vision problems. It is a disease that can be very disabling since, although peripheral vision is conserved, the patient has increasing difficulties recognising faces, reading, writing, watching the TV, walking and using the stairs or carrying out various precision tasks.

If you notice a sudden loss of vision, distortion, deformation or alteration in the size of images or the appearance of a fixed black spot in the middle of your field of vision, you must consult your ophthalmologist immediately. You may be developing wet AMD which requires immediate treatment.

The exact causes of AMD are unknown; it is a disease with multifactorial origins with the following clearly demonstrated risk factors:

• Age: AMD usually appears between the ages of 50 and 60 years and its incidence increases with age. In fact, the likelihood of suffering from this increases 4-fold after the age of 75.
• Genetic predisposition: it is estimated that 50% of the risk of suffering from AMD is hereditary and that the likelihood of suffering from it increases between 3- and 6-fold if a first-degree family member is affected. We are currently aware of around twenty genes involved in the pathology and being investigated in this field.
• Smoking: this increases the risk of AMD 6-fold and is the main modifiable factor.

It also influences associated disorders such as obesity, high cholesterol, arterial hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the development of AMD may be influenced by a lack of antioxidants in the diet, direct and prolonged exposure to the sun or some ocular constraints such as hypermetropia or a history of cataracts surgery.

We can effectively treat wet AMD with the intraocular injection of drugs, which slows the disorder down and allows the majority of patients to maintain and even recover their vision. There is currently no effective treatment for dry AMD although research is ongoing and Miranza clinics are involved in this.

In addition, support from the Low Vision Area, although unable to cure the causes of the disease, may be able to help make the most of the remaining vision.