Age-related Macular Degeneration Specialist
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Advanced Retina
Medical and Surgical Retina Specialists located in Greenfield, WI & Delafield, WI
Macular degeneration is a significant cause of severe, irreversible vision loss. At Advanced Retina in Delafield and Greenfield, Wisconsin, Dr. Vogel provides innovative and safe macular degeneration treatments to prevent long-term sight problems. If you’ve been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, call the office to set up an appointment, or use this website to reach out for more information.
Age-related Macular Degeneration Q & A
What is age-related macular degeneration?
When the central portion of your retina — known as the macula — deteriorates, you have macular degeneration. The dry form of this condition is most often associated with aging.
The macula is essential to your sight. It allows your eye to process images sharply. In the early stages of macular degeneration, the macula develops drusens, small scar-like lesions. As the cells in your retina continue to degenerate, more and more drusen form.
Your vision significantly deteriorates when the cones in the macula don’t regenerate properly. You lose the ability to see details, like words in a book, faces, and distinct colors.
What are the signs of age-related macular degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration may have the following symptoms:
- Decreased sharpness and clarity of vision
- Dark, blurred areas in the center of your vision
- Diminished or changed color perception
At first, you may just notice that your vision seems more blurry, and it’s difficult to read small print or drive. When you see your doctor and explain these symptoms, they may diagnose you with age-related macular degeneration and refer you to Advanced Retina for treatment.
What is the treatment for age-related macular degeneration?
There’s no cure for age-related macular degeneration, but symptoms can be managed and full vision loss prevented.
If you visit Advanced Retina in the early stages of macular degeneration, your doctor may recommend nutritional supplements that include high levels of antioxidants to support the macula cells.
Your doctor also works with you to prevent the wet form of macular degeneration from developing. With wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels grow into the damaged area and bleed into the macula.
Certain injectable medications seal irregular blood vessels and stop new blood vessels from forming. Your specialist at Advanced Retina may also suggest laser therapy to treat actively growing abnormal blood vessels.
With expert treatment and early intervention, you can preserve your sight.
If you’ve been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, call Advanced Retina today for an appointment. You may also reach out through the website to learn more about the practice.
