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One of the most important parts of our body is our eyesight. We can't appreciate the beauty and radiance of the world we are living in without it. Our personal lives depend on our eyesight and keeping it safe is of utmost importance. However, there are several eye diseases and disorders that occur that threaten our vision. One condition which causes the loss of sight in the center of our field of vision is called macular degeneration. This is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults aged 60 or older and it affects millions of people in the United States.
The center area of our retina is called the macula and this is the part which gets affected and damaged with macular degeneration. To see objects clearly and help in our everyday activities, we need our central vision. People with this type of disease often develop a blind spot or have wavy or blurry vision. However, it is important to consider that this only prevents people from being able to read or recognize faces and that peripheral vision is not affected. While it is not curable, it is not a disease that causes complete blindness.
There are two forms of macular degeneration. One is known as wet macular degeneration and the other is called dry macular degeneration. The first one occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow and this leads to the leakage of fluid and blood. This should not be overlooked since this can cause serious damage to your eyes and may result to rapid central vision loss. On the other hand, dry macular degeneration happens when the macula simply wears out as a result of the aging process. This is the more common among the two and progresses more slowly compared to the wet form.
There are many risk factors that are associated with macular degeneration such as the disease is considered to be hereditary which means that there when there is a family history of the disease; relatives are more likely to develop macular degeneration. Aging in general can also cause macular degeneration, although other high risk groups include smokers and those with hypertension, elevated cholesterol or those who are obese or consume a highly fatty diet.
Ranibizumab is one of the several treatments used for this disease today which was made with the help of modern science. This is injected once each month directly into the eye and this type of drug is known as a monoclonal antibody treatment. In this process, antibodies are used to stimulate the patient's immune system to target and attack specific cells. This drug is created with the help of custom monoclonal antibodies, and this treatment is used only to treat the wet form of the disease.
Other alternative treatment includes helping to teach an affected person how to better use peripheral vision to help them navigate daily life more easily. There are also special types of computer screens and adaptive eyeglass lenses that are made specifically people suffering from this disease.
The center area of our retina is called the macula and this is the part which gets affected and damaged with macular degeneration. To see objects clearly and help in our everyday activities, we need our central vision. People with this type of disease often develop a blind spot or have wavy or blurry vision. However, it is important to consider that this only prevents people from being able to read or recognize faces and that peripheral vision is not affected. While it is not curable, it is not a disease that causes complete blindness.
There are two forms of macular degeneration. One is known as wet macular degeneration and the other is called dry macular degeneration. The first one occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow and this leads to the leakage of fluid and blood. This should not be overlooked since this can cause serious damage to your eyes and may result to rapid central vision loss. On the other hand, dry macular degeneration happens when the macula simply wears out as a result of the aging process. This is the more common among the two and progresses more slowly compared to the wet form.
There are many risk factors that are associated with macular degeneration such as the disease is considered to be hereditary which means that there when there is a family history of the disease; relatives are more likely to develop macular degeneration. Aging in general can also cause macular degeneration, although other high risk groups include smokers and those with hypertension, elevated cholesterol or those who are obese or consume a highly fatty diet.
Ranibizumab is one of the several treatments used for this disease today which was made with the help of modern science. This is injected once each month directly into the eye and this type of drug is known as a monoclonal antibody treatment. In this process, antibodies are used to stimulate the patient's immune system to target and attack specific cells. This drug is created with the help of custom monoclonal antibodies, and this treatment is used only to treat the wet form of the disease.
Other alternative treatment includes helping to teach an affected person how to better use peripheral vision to help them navigate daily life more easily. There are also special types of computer screens and adaptive eyeglass lenses that are made specifically people suffering from this disease.
About the Author:
Armand Zeiders loves writing about biomedical research. For more information about custom monoclonal antibody production service, please visit the PrimmBiotech.com website today.
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