Macular Degeneration :: Eye Disorders Vision Essays

Macular DegenerationRobert, a 65 year-old male, has trouble reading fine detail, especially out of his substitution vision. He complains that his vision is blurred and that it is harder to see while operating a motor vehicle. In addition, sometimes objects appear wavy or crooked, which impairs his vision. His worst symptoms were that he occasionally lost the ability to distinguish between the features of familiar faces and he had a localized blind spot. Robert is not alone many nation suffer from symptoms related to loss and distortion of the visual field. He suffers from macular arear degeneration, the leading cause of decreased vision loss in the United States, especially for people everyplace the age of 50 (Philippi, 2000). Macular degeneration also known as late, aged-related maculopathy is an fondness disorder which causes a decrease in the visual field known as the retinal macula (Medical Encyclopedia, 2000). The majority of people who atomic number 18 affected ar peopl e over the age of 65, but occasionally it develops earlier in people 40-50 years old (Philippi, 2000). The majority of the visual loss is located in the commutation part of the visual field, while the peripheral vision is unharmed. There are also two types of macular degeneration, the wet and dry forms. The dry form of this sickness is the most popular, affecting 90% of the cases (Ameri git Academy of Ophthalmology, 1997).Macular degeneration in general can affect many people in minor or drastic ways. People who experience this form often complain of vision loss when they are in dim light, especially when they are reading. The dry type is often characterized by a more gradual loss of vision compared to the wet type. Signs of this disease include an increase in drusen, which is an accumulation of a yellow-white substance, in the underside of the macular retina. A loss of cells can be seen in the macula. The macula is our sensitive potty region, where intricate detail can be seen. T hus, vision in this area is helpful and necessary to drive, read, focus on small details, and recognize familiar faces. The macula is located in the back of the eye known as the retina. The macula is only about 5 mm in diameter, and includes the fovea, which gives us our detailed central vision. If a person suffers from the dry form in one eye they will be more likely to develop it in the other eye as well.