Most people consider vision their most valued sense yet many of us take our eyesight for granted and hardly think twice about what it would be like to lose our vision. Every day I sit with patients whose vision is threatened by age-related macular degeneration, a devastating condition that is also called AMD. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 60, and affects more than 15 million people in the U.S. More than 1.6 million people have advanced AMD, which can jeopardize the ability to read, drive, watch TV and even recognize family and friends’ faces. But thanks to recent medical advancements, patients now have better chances at preserving vision and slowing vision loss than ever before.
Dry and Wet AMD
There are two forms of AMD, dry and wet. Dry AMD is more common, accounting for 90 percent of AMD cases, but it accounts for only 10 percent of the severe vision loss caused by AMD. Dry AMD is characterized by the development of yellow-white deposits underneath your retina, known as drusen. In the early stages of AMD, you may see a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, dry AMD may develop into wet AMD, the more serious form...