"Clearly composed by the four straight-line box, how do I appear to be crooked?", "Read the newspaper recently that next to the total number of words are not clear, is not a presbyopic serious?" I believe that many elderly life may have a similar confusion. However, the real importance of these puzzles together and went to the hospital to check a person does not have much, it was attributed to "old, bad eyes, so that the", it was thought he had cataracts. However, these problems mentioned above is likely to be caused by age-related macular degeneration of the.

Recently, in an eye on elderly health talks, the president of Sun Yat-sen University Eye Hospital subsidiary Professor Tang Shibo pointed out that age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a serious blinding eye disease, at present, about There are 30 million AMD patients, about 50 million people each year due to blinding AMD. China's population over the age of 50 a higher prevalence rate of AMD, most patients are not treated in time, delaying the disease, resulting in irreversible loss of vision.

things straight as the distortion or the early symptoms of age-related macular degeneration

It is reported that age-related macular degeneration is a chronic age-related eye disease, the source of the center of the retina of the macular region of optic nerve cell damage, causing a sharp decline in central vision, affecting reading, driving, identifying the time and facial features of the visual function. AMD is often caused by visual impairment occurred in the initial six months, the visual damage was mainly attributable to a number of abnormal neovascularization in the subretinal macular growth. These new blood vessels can cause retinal hemorrhage, edema and retinal tissue damage, eventually leading to scar formation, which led to irreversible loss of vision.

"age-related macular degeneration is caused by people over 50 years of age and severe visual decline in one of the main reasons leading to the world of adults is irreversible loss of central vision in one of the primary disease." TANG Shi-bo said. Age-related macular degeneration was not obvious early symptoms, patients often think that vision will naturally increase with age recession, so delays in medical treatment, resulting in serious disease and even blindness.

and once in the late stage AMD, there are some more obvious symptoms. For example, some macular atrophy, or edema, in patients at this time when things can be wrong to see things straight, or视物模糊. In addition, because of advanced macular area when severe structural damage in patients with visual acuity at this time there will be injuries, some dark spots appear centers, such as when patients do stare when a place, but just can not see that place, but the surrounding things will be visible. There are patients that will be reflected in the time to read books, look at next to the word unclear.

patients with wet age-related macular degeneration 2 to 3 months may be the blind

divided into age-related macular degeneration dry and wet, common symptoms of dry AMD blurred vision for the mild, wet AMD will lead to sharp decline in central vision, patients may be 2 ~ 3 months of the blind. "Such as cataract surgery and the restoration of the blinding disease as compared to the consequences of age-related macular degeneration more severe, can cause irreversible loss of vision." TANG Shi-bo said.

However, compared with the cataract, age-related macular degeneration in public awareness is very low. Singapore, a survey showed that only 7.3% of the respondents were familiar with AMD, while in Hong Kong, China, Japan and only about 5%. Hong Kong, a survey, only 9.2% of people have heard of AMD, but there is 92.9% and 78.4% of people have heard of cataract and glaucoma. Even in the Western developed countries, the public awareness is also 30%. In addition, AMD public understanding of risk factors for disease are not satisfactory, such as smoking can increase the risk of suffering from AMD awareness is only 32%.

the cause of age-related macular degeneration is not clear. However, a large number of studies have shown that the occurrence of the disease with age, heredity, environment, smoking, blood antioxidant levels and other factors. "Women more than men illness, age-related macular degeneration in patients with immediate family members, as well as the incidence of smoking were higher in the elderly over 50 years of age, history of diabetes, hypertension, history of hypercholesterolemia groups are age-related macular degeneration high-risk population. "TANG Shi-bo said.

simple self-test will help early detection of AMD

TANG Shi-bo stressed that early detection, early treatment to prevent the disease progress to maximize the vision is to maintain the existing At present, the treatment of macular degeneration the main objective, but also the key to treatment.

"self-testing of patients with the disease can be found in time to help doctor for the time, thus the largest to maintain the level of vision. "TANG Shi-bo said by Amsler (Amsler) table, the patient can achieve rapid self . Is covered with an eye, Amsler grid to monitor the focal point of the normal line of sight should be straight, square the same size. If the inspection found that the grid of fuzzy, distorted or Yen color anomalies, it would take immediately to hospital for further check-formal. At the same time, decreased contrast sensitivity, dark spots, depending on the material deformation, reading ability, color and other symptoms of dysfunction, but also a doctor as soon as possible to seek professional help.

It is understood that the present method of treatment of AMD is mainly through the elimination of abnormal macular neovascularization and leakage, delayed a further decline in vision, including photodynamic therapy, laser photocoagulation therapy, transpupillary thermotherapy, radiation therapy, such as retinal surgery. "Comparison of the medical profession is currently highly photodynamic therapy. A large number of research and clinical application showed that photodynamic therapy can control the stability and the development of AMD, to improve visual function in patients with AMD. Even the advanced AMD, the visual function of the emergence of serious irreversible damage, but also as the technology can help improve the quality of life of patients. "