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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the world’s leading causes of irreversible blindness in the United States.

The disease affects the macula located at the back of your eye which is the part of the retina that lets you see fine detail like images in front of you, facial features or letters on a page. AMD is not painful and can occur in one or both eyes. How quickly the disease progresses vary from person to person and from eye to eye. When the disease advances rapidly it may lead to sudden and severe vision loss.

Age is the greatest risk factor for AMD and people over 50 are at the greatest risk. Other risk factors include smoking, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, obesity and …

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Macular degeneration (AMD) can be diagnosed by your eye doctor during a comprehensive eye exam. There is currently no cure or treatment for dry AMD but there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of developing wet AMD. These include healthy lifestyle choices like not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, eating green leafy vegetables and fish, regular exercise and taking AREDS2 formula-based vitamins daily. It’s also important to monitor your eyes with at-home testing between office visits.

There is home-monitoring technology available that is sensitive to changes in AMD. The ForeseeHome® AMD Monitoring Program is an easy-to-use early warning system for your eyes that can…

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Injections: One option to slow the progression of wet AMD is to inject specific drugs into the eye. With wet AMD, abnormally high levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are secreted in your eyes. VEGF is a protein that promotes the growth of new abnormal blood vessels. Anti-VEGF injection therapy blocks this growth.

Medications used to treat wet macular degeneration include:…

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Ever since macular degeneration was identified as a disease of the retina there have been ongoing debates among ophthalmologists, optometrists and researchers regarding the role of nutrition in protecting against the disease and possibly slowing its progress.

According to a recent study published in the journal Ophthalmology,…

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Not everyone with AMD develops late AMD or gets it in both eyes. But if you do, living with vision loss from AMD can be challenging.

Vision loss from macular degeneration can affect your ability to do things such as read, recognize faces and drive. These tips may help you cope with your changing vision:

• Ask your eye doctor to check your eyeglass prescription. If you wear contacts or glasses, be sure your prescription is up to date. If new glasses don’t help, ask for a referral to a low vision specialist.
• Use magnifiers. A variety of magnifying devices can help you with reading and other close-up work such as sewing. Such devices include hand-held magnifying lenses or magnifying lenses you wear like glasses.

You may also use a closed-circuit television system that uses a video camera to magnify reading material and project it on a video screen…

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Even after receiving a diagnosis of wet macular degeneration, you can take steps that may help slow vision loss.

• Don’t smoke. If you smoke ask your doctor for help to quit.
• Choose a healthy diet. The antioxidant vitamins in fruits and vegetables contribute to eye health. Kale, spinach, broccoli, squash and other vegetables have high levels of antioxidants including lutein and zeaxanthin which may benefit people with macular degeneration. Foods containing high levels of zinc also may be of particular value in patients with macular degeneration…

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