Is your vision blurry? Do straight lines somehow look wavy to you? These are signs of macular degeneration, a condition that can be slowed down if you catch and treat it early. Dr. Richlin, OD & Associates offers the latest advances to care for macular degeneration. Find out more by calling the Beverly Hills, California, office or requesting an appointment online.
Macular degeneration is a leading cause for vision loss in people age 50 and older. Age-related macular degeneration occurs when a part of your retina, called the macula, is damaged. Over time, you lose your vision and can’t see fine details, even when you look closely.
Macular degeneration comes in two forms: wet and dry. Most people have the dry form, which causes you to slowly lose your central vision. The wet version is more serious. It happens when abnormal blood vessels grow and scar your macula, causing what you see to look very blurry.
The signs of macular degeneration frequently don’t appear until the condition has progressed enough to affect your eyesight. Typical symptoms include:
Another sign of macular degeneration is when colors sometimes look more pale than usual.
Your optometrist at Dr. Richlin, OD & Associates performs a complete eye examination, using the most advanced technology to assess your eye health and catch the condition before it progresses any further.
Some of the diagnostic devices your optometrist may use include:
You may also need a fluorescein angiography. In this test, yellow dye is injected into a vein, then a special camera takes photos of your retina as the dye travels through the blood vessels in your retina.
Although there’s no treatment for dry macular degeneration, you may be able to keep it at bay with vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and copper. Talk to your optometrist at Dr. Richlin, OD & Associates before taking supplements.
For wet macular degeneration, medications can curtail the growth of abnormal blood vessels on your retina and prevent leaks that harm your vision. Laser light surgery may also reduce the number of blood vessels and stop leaks.
If you’ve noticed your vision is blurry, call the Beverly Hills, California, office of Dr. Richlin, OD & Associates, or request an appointment online today.
