These two diseases may be behind the disease

“AMD is the leading cause of severe visual impairment in the 65+ population,” he said. Dr. Janet S. SandnesHe is the Medical Director of the Hoover Low Vision Clinic at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and an expert in low vision, macular and retinal disorders.

“In the early stages, it only causes a mild loss of vision and the need for adequate lighting,” she told Healthline. , making it difficult to recognize faces and perform other detailed tasks.”

There are two types of AMD, wet and dry.

“Dry AMD consists of drusen and atrophy and tends to progress slowly,” says Storey. “Wet AMD, on the other hand, is characterized by bleeding behind the eye and fluid with rapid vision loss.”

Sunness explained that all AMD patients have a dry form to begin with. Wet AMD is considered an advanced stage along with advanced dry macular degeneration.

Two types of deposits, termed ‘drusen’ and ‘subretinal drusenoid deposits’ (SSD), were previously noted as manifestations of AMD.

The researchers looked at different parts of 23 different eyes in 18 patients with advanced AMD and found that these deposits affected the eye’s fluorescence, called autofluorescence (AF), produced naturally by the retina. I made sure it was given.

“If the retina is ‘disease’, the retinal fluorescence may be abnormal,” he explained. Dr. Philip Storya board-certified ophthalmologist and fellowship-trained retinal specialist, was not involved in the study.

“For lipofuscin, you get a brighter signal. [a byproduct of photoreceptor breakdown] accumulate,” he said. “Dark signal [are emitted] When there is complete photoreceptor death called atrophy.

Autofluorescence “is too dim to be seen with the naked eye, so we created a sensitive diagnostic tool to see it,” he explained. Dr. R. Theodore SmithPhD, Professor of Ophthalmology at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, and co-author of the study.

Smith explained that AMD patients have abnormal patches of bright or dark AF.

In a new study, measured AF light was twice as bright in eyes with SSD than AF seen in people with drusen deposits.

“The findings are important because they clearly show that SDD and drusen are different diseases,” Smith argued. This means they must be diagnosed and treated separately. ”

What you need to know about drusen and SSDs

These deposits may be small, but they can have a big impact on your vision.

So what exactly are they?

“Drusen are tiny yellow deposits that form between the retina and the choroid, the layer of blood vessels that nourish the retina.” Dr. Michael Cooneya vitreoretinal surgeon at Vitreoretinal Macular Consultant in New York, explained to Healthline.

“They are composed of different protein and lipid components, such as lipids, collagen and proteoglycans,” he added.

SSDs are similar, but they form under the retina and are “mainly composed of lipids and proteins,” Cooney said.

Cooney revealed that drusen and SSD are believed to occur as a result of three factors:

• chronic inflammation
• Accumulation of waste products in the retina
• Damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells that support the retina.

When it comes to visual impact, Smith found SSDs to be more detrimental. “Compared with drusen, SDD has twice the rate of progression to advanced AMD and is strongly correlated with life-threatening major vascular disease.”

SSD described as possible early warning sign of undetected cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease Doctor.Sam DahlUTHealth Director of the Department of Ophthalmology and Retina at McGovern Medical School in Houston.

As such, patients “may be advised to undergo more in-depth follow-up by a physician or cardiologist,” he noted.

Various factors are believed to increase an individual’s risk of AMD. According to Sunness and Cooney, these include:

• smoking
• cardiovascular disease
• Frequent exposure to sunlight throughout life
• have blue eyes
• being white
• have experienced head or eye trauma
• Exposure to certain environmental toxins such as pesticides, air pollution, and heavy metals
• Nutrient deficiencies such as vitamin D, vitamin B12, and folic acid
• experiencing chronic inflammation
• Certain systemic diseases such as lupus, sarcoidosis, and autoimmune diseases

Genetics can also play a role. “Some patients may have genes that make them more susceptible to SSD and accumulation of drusen deposits,” he revealed.

“It’s important to note that the causes of AMD are multifactorial and can vary from person to person,” Cooney said. “The above factors, alone or in combination, may contribute to the development of AMD.”

There is currently no cure for dry or wet AMD, but treatment can slow progression.

“These represent a huge step forward for patients, as they can prevent people from going blind,” argued Story.

According to Cooney, treatment for AMD depends on the type and severity of the disease. Unfortunately, it is currently not possible to restore vision that has already been lost.

Dry AMD

For dry AMD with heavy drusen deposits, certain vitamin preparations may benefit some patients. The formulation, known as the AREDS 2 (Age-Related Eye Disease Study) formulation, “consists of vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and a small amount of copper (to supplement zinc),” he said. said Sunness.

According to the study, the formulation “reduced the risk of developing wet macular degeneration by about twenty five%,” she added.

Advanced dry AMD, also known as geographic atrophy (GA), holds hope for new treatment options.

“Many studies have investigated new drugs to slow the progression of GA,” Story revealed. “The first drug is expected to be approved by the FDA this year.”

Wet AMD

One treatment approach for this more advanced form of AMD involves FDA-approved injections.

“Since the mid-2000s, retinal specialists have used a series of drugs known as ‘anti-VEGF drugs’ that can be injected into the eye to treat wet AMD,” Dahr said.

Wet AMD may also be treated with laser therapy and photodynamic therapy, Cooney revealed. Along with injections, “these treatments are aimed at stopping abnormal blood vessel growth and preserving vision.”

In both dry and wet AMD, “low vision rehabilitation can significantly improve patients’ ability to use their vision more effectively,” emphasizes Sunness. These include improved lighting, stronger reading glasses, and different types of magnification.

“Patients always have hope and never say, ‘There’s nothing more we can do,'” she said.

A new study reveals the influence of two eye diseases on the development of AMD.

According to Dahr, the findings are remarkable and “in the future, researchers and clinicians will be able to differentiate between eyes with high drusen profiles and eyes with SDD profiles to make more targeted recommendations.” It may be possible,” he said.

Measures such as quitting smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and wearing protective eyewear when outdoors can help stop its onset.

A variety of treatments can slow the progression of symptoms in people with AMD. In addition, Storey emphasized, “It’s very important to have regular eye exams by a retinal specialist, as this disease can lead to blindness.”