Risk Factors for Macular Degeneration (AMD) and Preventative Measures
Macular degeneration can’t be cured, but the good news is that advanced “wet” AMD can be diagnosed and treated to help keep the vision. Two out of five people who got injections to treat this condition could see much better.
Age-related macular degeneration is a painful disease that can damage the eyes in a way that can’t be fixed. Because of this, it’s important for everyone to know how to make it less likely that we’ll forget about this condition.
The macula is part of the eye that is right in the middle of what you see. When this area is damaged in the later stages of AMD, it can make driving, watching TV, and reading harder physically and emotionally. Research has shown that these tasks, which people often take for granted until they can’t do them anymore, can have an effect on mental health. So, to keep our quality of life high, we should keep the macula healthy and working well.
According to the World Health Organization, AMD is the leading cause of vision loss in developed countries and the third most common cause of vision loss in the world as a whole. It is the main reason why people over 50 go blind in Australia.
Your eyesight can be protected by an optometrist who keeps an eye out for any changes. Macular degeneration is hard to treat if it isn’t caught early. The best way to avoid AMD is never to get it in the first place. If you are at risk, see your eye doctor often.
What can make your chances of getting macular degeneration higher?
There are five things that are known to make AMD more likely.
- Smoking
- Hereditary
- Age
- Diet
- Obesity
Except for getting older and having a family history of AMD, we can all do something about these things.
Do you agree that smoking can hurt your eyes and make them hard to see?
AMD is especially dangerous if you smoke tobacco because people who smoke are four times more likely to get advanced forms of AMD at a much younger age than people who don’t smoke. Taking steps like quitting smoking can lower a person’s chances of getting this eye condition and help them keep their eyes healthy in the long run.
If you have age-related macular degeneration, smoking can hurt your eyesight and health for the rest of your life (AMD). The more you smoke, the more likely you are to hurt your eyes and other parts of your body. Those who quit smoking early enough may be able to put off getting AMD and the vision problems that come with it, which would be a huge improvement. If you want to avoid bad things happening to you in the future, quitting might be the best thing you can do.
Your health might improve if you change the way you eat.
If you have never smoked and don’t have a lot of extra weight, you may be less likely to get advanced macular degeneration. This information is very important for anyone with an AMD blood relative. If you don’t take this advice, you can’t blame yourself for your parents getting AMD.
I always tell people with AMD and their families in the clinicto eat “green, fish, and gold.” Also part of this is what you eat:
- At least three times a week, you should eat oily fish. This is something you can buy fresh, frozen, or in a can. Salmon, sardines, herring, trout, and, to a lesser extent, tuna are all types of oily fish. These fish have a lot of omega-3.
- Every day, you should eat green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, cabbage, and Brussels sprouts that are high in lutein and zeaxanthin.
- Pumpkin, squash, yellow bell peppers, and sweet potatoes get their bright yellow or “golden” color from beta-carotene, vitamins C and A, niacin, lutein, and amino acids. These things are good for the eyes and the rest of the body.
Is macular degeneration hereditary?
Macular degeneration is a devastating eye condition that is genetically transmitted. Individuals are more prone to get the disease if a close relative already has it.
Researchers have discovered that different genes influence the progression of AMD in distinct ways. Even though you cannot alter your genes, altering other risk factors, particularly your diet, may make them less significant and protect you against AMD.
Is it because I am maturing?
Aging is accompanied by wrinkles and a high risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In fact, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease practically triples from persons in their 50s to those in their 80s and then rises to 25% among those who are 90 years old.
Age doesn’t always indicate you’ll have AMD as you get older. Using the risk factors for this eye illness and its severity, a diagnosis is made.
Individuals with a family history of macular degeneration may be genetically predisposed to get the disease themselves. This makes it even more vital to exercise caution and identify the issue as soon as possible.
AMD is inherited, so if one of your parents has it, your chances of developing it are significantly increased. According to studies, the probability might be as high as fifty percent or even more.
Researchers continue to learn more about the genes that may cause AMD. Because of this, the means by which we attempt to avoid contracting HIV also vary. Even while you can’t change your genes, some things you can do, especially when you modify your diet,could help lessen the risk of acquiring the AMD that your genes give you.
Should I exercise and lose weight?
Researchers have examined the body mass index (BMI), obesity, its effect on nutrition absorption, and its relationship to AMD.
According to studies, having a higher BMI or a larger waistline increases the likelihood of developing advanced AMD. However, if these risk factors are present, there is a greater likelihood that AMD will progress to advanced AMD.
In addition to all the aforementioned advantages, decreasing weight may reduce your risk of developing AMD and accompanying visual symptoms. There are various techniques to demonstrate that weight loss is effective.
Macular degeneration is an eye condition that can impair your vision and reduce your quality of life. Since prevention is always preferable to treatment, it should be everyone’s first responsibility to determine what causes macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is caused by stress on the macula, which is the light-sensing portion of the eye. This stress is caused by smoking, having bad genes, aging, poor nutrition, and being overweight. Individuals can reduce their risk of developing macular degeneration later in life by avoiding or doing less of the following. This will aid them in maintaining their vision and living a happy life.
