Do You Go Blind With Macular Degeneration

Amd affects only the central vision.

Do you go blind with macular degeneration.

No one will ever go completely blind from macular degeneration. Fortunately most patients with amd can keep good vision for their entire lives and even those who lose their central vision almost always maintain their side or peripheral vision. Macular degeneration alone does not cause total blindness. Although most cases of wet macular degeneration are due to genetics there are a number of lifestyle and dietary factors that can affect the risk of developing the dry form of the eye disease.

Many patients are frightened of losing vision or going blind when they are told they have age related macular degeneration amd. Patients with macular degeneration lose their central vision. You will be able to walk around dress yourself and do most daily tasks. When the photoreceptors in the macula degrade patients go blind.

This includes reading facial recognition seeing objects in fine detail and driving. For instance a large study found that people in middle age have about a 2 percent risk of getting amd but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75 facts about 2009. In the dry form of the disease which is the most common form the damage begins with accumulations of yellow deposits below the retina known as drusen. Although amd may occur earlier studies indicate that people over age 60 are at greater risk than those in younger age groups.

Will i go completely blind from amd. Age related macular degeneration is a disease that affects vision due to damage to the central part of the retina. There are several factors both controllable and uncontrollable that may put you at risk of macular degeneration. Scheie eye institute university of pennsylvania.

You will never go totally blind from amd. Around the macula is the retina responsible for side vision peripheral vision. In fact the majority of patients with age related macular degeneration maintain functional vision. Age related macular degeneration amd is caused by changes beneath the sensitive tissues that communicate with your optic nerve and allow you to see.

The side vision lets you know what is around you. Even in the worst cases macular degeneration only affects the central vision and leaves the peripheral vision intact. According to chip goehring founder and president of the american macular degeneration foundation he is living proof that by eating right and taking proper preventative measures you can still keep your sight even 20 years after being diagnosed with amd. The patients lose their ability to take part in activities.

In the u s macular degeneration affects nearly 10 million people.