Macular Degeneration Statistics
Here in Northern Colorado, Macular Degeneration is the main cause of vision impairment in persons over age 60. Some of the most common known risk factors associated with ARMD are: Caucasian, female, obesity, smoking, it can also run in families and exposure to harmful UV rays may play a role in development of the disease.
The vast majority of all the people in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley who are diagnosed with ARMD have the “dry” form of the disease.
- Overview
- Macular degeneration (also called AMD, ARMD, or age-related macular degeneration) is most often an age-related condition in which the most sensitive part of the retina, called the macula, starts to deteriorate and lose its ability to form clear visual images.
- Forms of Macular Degeneration
- Dry macular degeneration symptoms include: consistent, slightly blurred vision within your central visual field. Some people have difficulty in recognizing faces and have a sudden need for more light while reading or working. The dry form of this disease gets progressively worse, over time. Wet macular degeneration symptoms include: a distortion of straight lines and an inability to focus properly on a single point within a grid. Wet macular degeneration is an advanced stage of the disease, and often results in blind spots and loss of centralized vision.
- Symptoms & Risk Factors of Macular Degeneration
- Macular degeneration symptoms vary based on the particular form of the disease (dry or wet), and the stage the disease at the time it is discovered.
- Treatment of Macular Degeneration
- There is as yet no outright cure for macular degeneration, but some treatments and proper nutrition may delay its progression or even improve vision.
What is Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration (also called AMD, ARMD, or age-related macular degeneration) is most often seen as an age-related condition. People in Northern Colorado with this disease experience vision loss in which the most sensitive part of the retina, (called the macula), starts to deteriorate and lose the ability to create clear visual images. The macula is responsible for central vision – the part of our sight we use to read, drive and recognize faces. A person with AMD will have peripheral vision that is still intact, the most important aspect of vision (central vision) is lost.
AMD is the main cause of vision loss and blindness in the USA for people aged 65 and older. Because older people are representing an increasingly larger amount of the general population in the US, this type of vision loss is an ever increasing issue.
There are some estimates that state that more than 1.75 million people in the USA have significant vision loss from AMD today and that estimate is expected to double by the year 2020.
For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please call 970-204-4020 or click on the link on the side of the page.
