Macular Degeneration :: Eye Disorders Vision Essays

Macular DegenerationRobert, a 65 year-old male, has trouble reading fine detail, specially out of his central vision. He complains that his vision is woolly-headed 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 major power to distinguish between the features of familiar faces and he had a localized blind spot. Robert is not alone many heap suffer from symptoms related to loss and deformation of the visual field. He suffers from macular reversion, the leading cause of decreased vision loss in the United States, especially for people over the age of 50 (Philippi, 2000). Macular degeneration also known as late, aged-related maculopathy is an eye disorder which causes a decrease in the visual field known as the retinal macula (Medical Encyclopedia, 2000). The absolute volume of people who are affected are people over the age of 65, b ut occasionally it develops earlier in people 40-50 years old (Philippi, 2000). The majority of the visual loss is located in the central part of the visual field, while the peripheral vision is unharmed. There are also two types of macular degeneration, the laden and run dry forms. The dry form of this disease is the most popular, affecting 90% of the cases (Ameri burn 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 sight region, where intricate detail can be seen. Thus, vision in this a rea is helpful and necessary to drive, read, focus on small details, and recognize familiar faces. The macula is located in the stern 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.