Self Care - Age Related Macular Degeneration Amd: The Aging Eye Preventing And Treating Eye Disease
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Self-care
Although AMD cannot be cured, early detection is important to prevent further deterioration of the retina. For this reason, it's crucial that older people have regular eye exams and contact their doctors about any changes in their eye health and vision. Because all the available treatments for wet AMD work best in the disease's early stages, you should consult an ophthalmologist immediately if you notice symptoms.
Home monitoring. People already diagnosed with AMD can monitor their condition by testing themselves at home with an Amsler grid. Simply keep the pattern on the refrigerator door or another convenient spot. By routinely testing each eye, someone with dry AMD may be warned that wet AMD is beginning, while people who have already had laser surgery for AMD may be alerted to recurrent leakage or bleeding.
If you have already lost some of your vision to AMD, low-vision aids can help maximize the sight you have left (see "Living with low vision"). Specialists in low vision can prescribe appropriate aids and provide referrals to agencies that offer support and assistance to the visually impaired.
| Last updated: | June 19, 2007 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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