Eye Surgery: Macular Disease

General description
Macular disease is a degenerative condition that affects the center of the retina of people over the age of 60. After diabetes, It is the second most frequent cause of blindness in older people.

The center of the retina is called the macula, an area in charge of sharp and discriminative vision. It is the area of spatial perspective and is related to activities such as reading and driving that call for specialized vision. When macular degeneration occurs, the macula is the most affected area.

Causes – There are several theories. Sometimes ultraviolet light is the cause and, at other times, nutritional factors are mentioned. The retina is the light-sensitive inner layer of the eye. The retina turns light into nervous stimuli that go to the brain. It is a very sensitive tissue, where a small alteration can result in blindness.

Symptoms – The most common symptom is loss of visual sharpness. There are two kinds of symptoms:
* Dry MD is characterized by progressive loss of central vision. It is a central macular atrophy.
* Wet MD causes distorted vision or the vision of weird lines. It is a diffuse atrophy with ongoing hemorrhages in the retina.

Technical description
Procedure – Since the real causes are unknown, treatment has little effect. It is common to be advised to take nutritional supplements of vitamins and Zinc. If the affected vessels are not in the macula (Wet D), laser coagulation is performed to avoid further hemorrhage. Periodic control of the eye can prevent the occurrence of some types of macular degeneration.

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