Eight hundred thousand
Australians have macular degeneration according to the
latest edition of Drive Time Medical in an
interview with a Retinal Specialist . This is an
epidemic!! One hundred thousand are in the late
stages Medical research he said has found that vegetable
oils make it worse but not olive oil The advice is to cut down butter and avoid
common vegetable oils
The Specialist said
family history implies a huge risk and preventive strategies are important
here as they are for early signs with visual loss and spots in the eyes
called drusen spots. Prevention is exercise
,life style change and weight loss diet for
obesity,lowering of blood pressure and a diet containing nuts and
fish similar to prevention for heart disease .However he does not specify
which or how many nuts (I dread to think of them all taking peanuts )and
he recommends 2 to 3 fish dishes a week which is in fact in my opinion
inadequate If there are early signs eg drusen spots and slight
visual loss the recommendation is zinc and antioxidants proven to cut down
macular degeneration by 30%.
The specialist said it is an
incurable condition If severe-- then laser treatment is required.(
See info below) He adds that the condition can be however
prevented
What astounds me is the lack
of appreciation that we are a Country chronically low on antioxidant intake.
Zinc and selenium deficiency is widespread in Australia as is Vitamin C
deficiency. In my opinion a good mulltivitamin containig vitamin C and zinc and
selenium as well as the life style changes would go a long way to prevent
this epidemic and prevent the disease which as he acknowledged is a consequence
of poor diet . In the interview no mention is made of doses or the nature
of antioxidants and what they actually do --and this CD goes to virtually every
GP in Australia. Even the damaging Vegetable oils are not mentioned and butter
is not a vegetable oil.
Michael
How does
AMD damage vision? AMD occurs in two forms: |
Dry and Wet Macular
Degeneration
| |
|
Dry AMD affects about 90 percent
of those with the disease. Its cause is unknown. Slowly, the light
sensitive cells in the macula break down. With less of the macula
working, you may start to lose central vision in the affected eye as
the years go by. Dry AMD often occurs in just one eye at first. You
may get the disease later in the other eye. Doctors have no way of
knowing if or when both eyes may be affected. |
|
Wet
AMD—Although only 10 percent of all people with AMD have this
type, it accounts for 90 percent of all blindness from the disease.
It occurs when new blood vessels behind the retina start to grow
toward the macula. Because these new blood vessels tend to be very
fragile, they will often leak blood and fluid under the macula. This
causes rapid damage to the macula that can lead to the loss of
central vision in a short period of time.
How is AMD
treated?
Dry AMD currently cannot be treated. But this does
not mean that you will lose your sight. Fortunately, dry AMD
develops very slowly. You may lose some of your central vision over
the years. However, most people are able to lead normal, active
lives—especially if AMD affects only one eye.
Some cases of wet AMD can be treated with laser
surgery.
The treatment involves aiming a high energy beam of
light directly onto the leaking blood vessels to seal them. Laser
treatment is best applied soon after the new blood vessels develop,
before they have reached and damaged the fovea—the central
part of the macula. But even if the blood vessels are growing right
behind the fovea, the treatment can be of some value in stopping
further vision loss. | |
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