Macular Degeneration Austin TX

Treatment For Macular Degeneration in Austin TX

Macular degeneration affects an estimated 11 million people in the United States alone. By 2050, that number is expected to double. If you or someone you love is living with this condition, you should know that you can get treatment for macular degeneration in Austin TX at Northwest Hills Eye Care.

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is an eye disease that most often affects older people. For this reason, it’s often called age-related macular degeneration. In fact, macular degeneration is the leading cause of loss of vision in persons 60 years of age and older.

In macular degeneration, a part of your eye breaks down. The central part of your retina is called the macula. The macula is a light-sensing nerve tissue that’s located at the back of your eye. You can’t see the macula, but your eye doctor in Austin TX can see it when he views your eye with a special light. When the macula wears down, macular degeneration is taking place. Macular degeneration doesn’t always lead to blindness, but severe vision loss is common.

Wet and Dry Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration takes two primary forms; wet and dry. They are different in the symptoms they create and in how the condition progresses.

Wet Macular Degeneration

In this form, blood vessels under your retina leak blood and fluid. Vision is distorted and you may have blind spots in the peripheral or center of your vision. If scar tissue forms, blindness may occur eventually.

Dry Macular Degeneration

In this form, yellow deposits, called drusen, develop in the macula. As drusen grow in size and number, vision is affected. Typically, it becomes much harder to see in the dark. Eventually, blindness may set in.

No matter what kind of macular degeneration you experience, it’s essential that you get treatment as soon as possible. Your Northwest Hills Eye Care professionals can help.