Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
In wet age-related macular degeneration, abnormal new blood vessels grow into the macula region. This is less common than dry macular degeneration and represents only 10-15% of all macular degeneration diagnosed.
These blood vessels are weak and often leak blood or fluid, which leads to scarring of the macula and rapid loss of central vision. Wet age-related macular degeneration can develop very suddenly. It can now be treated if caught quickly. Fast referral to a hospital specialist is essential.
Multicolour Advanced Scan
Having your eyes regularly scanned will help detect the earliest signs of change. Spectralis 4D OCT scanning helps spot the earliest of changes first. If such changes are found and are treatable (in the case of wet macular degeneration), then early treatment can dramatically improve the effectivity of the treatment.
If you have been diagnosed with macular degeneration, make sure you have your eyes examined and scanned once a year or immediately if you notice any visual deterioration.
The best OCT scan for detecting and monitoring macular degeneration is again the autofluorescence scan. As mentioned in the dry macular degeneration information, autofluorescence analyses the cellular activity of your retina, detecting retinal and macular degeneration earlier than ever before, leading to more efficient treatment.
How AMD Affects Vision
The macula is a small, but extremely important area located at the centre of the retina, the light-sensing tissue that lines the back of the eye. It is responsible for seeing fine details clearly.
If you have AMD, you lose the ability to see fine details, both close-up and at a distance. This affects only your central vision. Your side, or peripheral, vision usually remains normal. For example, when people with AMD look at a clock, they can see the clock’s outline but cannot tell what time it is; similarly, they gradually lose the ability to recognise people’s faces.
Treatments for AMD
There are two types of AMD. Most people (about 75%) have a form called “early” or “dry” AMD, which develops when there is a build-up of waste material under the macula and thinning of the retina at the macula. Most people with this condition have near normal vision or milder sight loss.
A minority of patients with early (dry) AMD can progress to the vision-threatening forms of AMD called late AMD.
The commonest form of late AMD is “exudative” or “wet” AMD. Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina. These unhealthy vessels leak blood and fluid, which can prevent the retina from working properly. Eventually, the bleeding and scarring can lead to severe permanent loss of central vision, but the eye is not usually at risk of losing all vision (going ‘blind’) as the ability to see in the periphery remains.
There is a rarer form of late AMD called geographic atrophy, where vision is lost through severe thinning or even loss of the macula tissue without any leaking blood vessels.
Types of AMD
- Early or Dry AMD – Develops when waste material builds up under the macula and the retina thins. Most patients have near normal vision or milder sight loss.
- Late AMD – Vision-threatening forms that can develop from early AMD.
- Wet AMD – Abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina, leak blood and fluid, and can cause scarring and permanent central vision loss.
- Geographic Atrophy – Severe thinning or loss of macula tissue without leaking blood vessels, leading to central vision loss.