Restore Vision Clinic treats eyesight loss from optic nerve damage and retinal disorders. Restore Vision Clinic specializes in Fedorov Restoration Therapy.
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Macular degeneration
- AMD is a group of long-term (chronic) degenerative eye diseases. It's sometimes just called macular degeneration. AMD is the leading cause of legal blindness in the United States and in many countries around the world. AMD affects a part of the retina called the macula. The macula is an oval yellowish area near the center of the retina in the eye.
www.verywellhealth.com/macular-degeneration-timeline-5069947Macular Degeneration: Timeline of Vision Loss - Verywell Health
People also ask
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Read about the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes a loss of central vision that affects your ability to see objects and fine detail clearly.
- Treatments
side effects include bleeding in the eye, feeling like...
- Getting Diagnosed
Sometimes you may be referred to an eye doctor...
- Living With AMD
Speak to your eye specialist about a referral to a...
- Treatments
- Overview
- Macular degeneration
- Glaucoma
- Cataracts
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Amblyopia
- Strabismus
- Other causes
- How can I prevent blindness?
Blindness is usually due to age-related conditions such as macular degeneration, glaucoma, or cataracts. But other rare conditions can also cause blindness in people of all ages.
More than 4 million adults in the United States above the age of 40 years had low vision or were legally blind in 2022. Experts expect that number to double by 2050 as the population ages.
While vision loss is usually age-related, other factors can also play a role. Read on to learn about seven of the most common causes of blindness, their risk factors, and how to reduce your risk.
•seeing flashes of light
•seeing floaters or specks
•seeing haloes around light sources
If you’re older than 60 years, it helps to be aware of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It’s the most common cause of vision loss in people of this age group. While not painful, it can slowly damage your central vision.
AMD occurs when cells in the center of your retina (macula) get damaged over time. AMD has two types: wet and dry. Dry AMD is more common but less severe.
An early sign of wet AMD is straight lines appearing crooked. With dry AMD, you may first experience blurred or distorted central vision.
Risk factors for AMD include smoking or having a family history of the disease. White people may also be at a higher risk than other races.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the optic nerve in the back of your eye. About half of all people with glaucoma don’t know they have it because it can progress very slowly. It first damages your side (peripheral) vision and can eventually cause blindness.
Researchers aren’t sure what causes glaucoma. It may be related to high eye pressure, but even people with regular eye pressure can develop it. Regular eye exams every 1–2 years can help doctors detect it early.
Risk factors for glaucoma include:
•having a family history of glaucoma
•being older than 60 years and Latino
•being older than 40 years and Black
A cataract is the clouding of the lenses because of the proteins in one or both of your eyes. These proteins form a dense area, making it hard for your lens to send clear images to other parts of your eye.
Cataracts are a common, vision threatening eye conditions. The National Eye Institute estimates that by the age of 80 years, half of all adults in the United States will have cataract or cataract surgery in one or both eyes.
Risk factors for cataracts include:
•aging
•smoking (if you smoke)
•alcohol (if you drink)
People with diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy, including those with type 1 and type 2 or who are pregnant (gestational diabetes).
Frequent high blood sugar levels can damage blood vessels all over your body. It includes the tiny vessels in your retina, the area in the back of your eye that’s sensitive to light. The blood vessels can leak or grow unusually, causing vision loss and eventually blindness.
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a rare group of inherited eye diseases. Genetic mutations that affect your retina can cause its cells to break down slowly.
While RP typically gets passed from parent to child at birth, injuries, infections, and some medications can cause damage to the retina that resembles RP.
Most people with RP eventually lose most of their sight.
Risk factors for RP include a family history of the condition or having other genetic disorders like Usher syndrome.
More commonly known as lazy eye, amblyopia typically affects just one eye. It usually starts in childhood, when your brain has trouble interpreting information from one of your eyes. Over time, the eye with better sight becomes stronger, while the eye affected by amblyopia becomes weaker.
Many parents don’t know their children have the condition until a doctor diagnoses it.
Risk factors for amblyopia include:
•family history of amblyopia, cataracts, or other eye conditions
•low birth weight or premature birth
•developmental disabilities
Ambylopia can often occur with strabismus or crossed eyes. Strabismus can also occur without amblyopia.
Muscles surround your eyes, allowing them to move and focus. When they don’t team together well, the sight in both eyes doesn’t align correctly. That can cause your brain to rely on one eye more than the other. It takes treatment to help them see together.
Researchers aren’t sure what causes strabismus, but risk factors include:
•family history of strabismus
•having other eye conditions
•eye or brain injury
Less common causes of blindness include:
•eye injures
•brain injuries
•eye surgery complications
•uncorrected refractive errors
•genetic disorders
Regular dilated eye exams are one of the best ways to prevent vision loss. They can also help you catch a condition early when the treatment can be more effective.
You can also protect your vision by:
•managing your blood sugar levels
•eating a nutritious diet
•maintaining a moderate weight
•quitting smoking (if you smoke) or never starting smoking
Dots and lines (floaters) or flashes of light in your vision are common. They're not usually serious. Check if you have floaters and flashes. Floaters in your vision can look like: small dark dots; squiggly lines; rings; cobwebs; Flashes look like sudden flashes of light. They're usually harmless and not a sign of anything serious, especially if:
Retinal migraines usually affect 1 eye. They often come on suddenly and symptoms include: vision loss – this usually lasts around 10 to 20 minutes but can sometimes last up to 1 hour; a blind spot in your vision; a headache – you may get this at the same time as the eye symptoms or shortly afterwards
Jan 19, 2022 · A shadow or dark curtain describes a potentially urgent problem when vision is partially or totally blocked by dark or blurred shapes often beginning in the peripheral or side vision. This disturbance may come from above, below or from the side.
Aug 31, 2024 · Retinal detachment: Retina pulls away from the back of the eye; causes floaters, flashes of light, and sometimes a curtain coming up over your vision. Retinopathy: A generalized term for disorders that affect the retina; causing wavy lines, double vision, dark spots, vision loss, floaters, and blindness.
Nov 15, 2023 · Symptoms: A sudden increase in floaters (small dark spots or squiggly lines that float across your vision), flashes of light in one eye or both eyes, a “curtain” or shadow over your field of vision. Diagnosis: Dilated eye exam. Treatment: Laser treatment, surgery.
