Never take your vision for granted. Your ability to see the world in all its wonder — the deep blue sky, the smiling faces of loved ones, or a great touchdown catch — is truly magical.
That magic is made possible by our retinas, the thin layers of powerful tissue lining the backs of our eyes. Retinas work like film or digital sensors in a camera to capture light, converting it into signals that our brain processes to create the images we see.
If you are fortunate, you will never have to worry about your retinas. If you eat a healthy diet, don’t smoke, and have good genetic luck, your retinas have a good chance of lasting a lifetime.
However, there’s one major risk factor for the health of your retinas that you can’t control: getting older. Once you reach 55, your risk for a retinal condition called age-related macular degeneration (AMD) begins to increase. The older you get, the greater your risk for AMD. About 200 million people around the world, including 10 million in the United States, have the condition. It’s the leading cause of blindness in developed countries.
Causes of AMD
In AMD, fatty deposits called drusen accumulate underneath the retina and can lead to the degeneration of the cells called photoreceptors that make vision possible. The center of your retina, the macula, is most affected by AMD.
People with advanced AMD can lose their central vision — the ability to read, drive, and recognize the faces of friends and loved ones. Sometimes, the fatty deposits alone are the culprit — they cause the dry form of AMD. In other cases, vision-robbing, leaky blood vessels also grow underneath the retina, leading to wet AMD.
Minimizing your risk
What can you do to minimize your risk? Well, it gets back to healthy living. Doctors often say that what’s good for your heart is good for your eyes and retinas. So, don’t smoke, eat healthy, and exercise. Also, if you are over age 55, see your eye doctor every year to address any issues that may be developing. Many eye conditions, including AMD, are silent but can be treated if addressed early.
There’s also great research underway to improve the efficacy and convenience of treating AMD. Scientists are working on innovative approaches for preventing vision loss from ever occurring. New drugs, gene therapies, and stem cell treatments are being developed to save and restore vision for people with AMD.
These emerging techniques also show great promise to help people with inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and Usher syndrome. While these genetic conditions are less common, they are often diagnosed in children and are progressive, leading to blindness by adulthood.
Learn more about AMD, inherited retinal diseases, and cutting-edge research by visiting www.FightingBlindness.org.
