WHAT IS AMD?

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition that affects the central part of your vision. It usually first affects people in their 50s and 60s. It doesn’t cause total blindness. But it can make everyday activities like reading and recognising faces difficult.
Without treatment, your vision may get worse. This can happen gradually over several years (dry AMD), or quickly over a few weeks or months (wet AMD).

TYPES OF AMD

There are two types of AMD.

1. Most people (about 75%) have a form called early or dry AMD. Dry AMD is more common and has a slower progression. There are currently no treatments available.
2. A minority of patients with early (dry) AMD can progress to the vision-threatening forms of
   AMD called late or wet AMD. Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina. These
   unhealthy vessels leak blood and fluid, which can prevent the retina from working properly. Wet AMD is rarer. It is very aggressive and causes severe sight loss, but can be treated if diagnosed early

How to detect AMD

An OCT scan is used to detect if you have AMD and determine which type of AMD you have. At Vista Eye Clinic we have OCT machines in both our practices in Naas and Ranelagh. At home, you can monitor your eyesight for AMD with an Amsler Grid. To download an
Amsler Grid please click here.

https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amsler-grid.pdf

TREATMENTS FOR AMD

There are currently no treatments for Dry AMD.

We provide intravitreal injection therapy (injections into the eye) for wet AMD at Clane Hospital and Beacon Hospital. Our medical retina specialist Dr Magdy Nasralla performs these injections.

Causes of AMD

The exact cause is unknown. AMD has been linked to smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and having a family history of AMD.

Research by the Macular Pigment Research Group in Waterford Institute of Technology estimates that seven percent of Irish people aged 50 years or older are living with AMD. Therefore, AMD is the leading cause of sight loss in this age group, with the number of people affected due to increase in the coming years due to our ageing population