The vision of patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD) is affected in several different ways depending on which type of AMD they have. The two types are dry and wet AMD. Wet causes the most severe vision loss.

When the photoreceptor cells of the macula, a tiny spot in the center of the retina, start dying or degenerating people will notice that they need more light to see clearly. Images seem blurry and are less sharp and crisp. That's because the macula is responsible for our detailed vision. Colors are less vivid and the world is not as bright as it used to be. As the AMD progresses they may notice a blurry or blank spot in the center of their vision or that straight lines now appear crooked or wavy.

Unfortunately, the answer is not simple. Generally, they pay the lens fee but only based on a benefit schedule. For example, the most recent schedule provides $10 for scratch coating. If your eyewear provider charges more, you must pay the difference for that item. Progressive multifocal lenses are usually not within the fees on the fee schedule. In addition, they allow higher amounts for stronger prescriptions depending on the power of the sphere and cylinder.

To make matters more complicated, in Ontario, optometrists usually price with frames and lenses at cost and add a 'flat-rate' dispensing fee. Opticians, however, use a retail price (marked-up) for the frame and lenses but omit the dispensing fee. So the schedule of benefits is different for opticians and optometrists. For example, the frame allowance for optometrists is $24.05 and for opticians it is about $45.00. You would be expected to pay the difference.

If you wish to have progressive lenses or Transitions lenses, you usually have to pay a difference in both the lens cost and dispensing fee. This will vary depending on where you go for your eyewear.

The following is just one example:

Single vision lenses, clear, scratch resistant coating

at the optometrist they may charge the following:

dispensing fee $100

lenses $25

scratch resistant coating $20

frame(including case) $79

In this case, the Ministry of Health (which distributes the payments for eyewear provided with ODSP authorization forms) might cover the following (approx.):

dispensing fee $40 (dispenser may choose not to charge you the difference)

lenses $25

scratch resistant coating $10

frame $24.05

case $1.60

Macular degeneration, sometimes mistakenly (or jokingly) called 'immaculate degeneration,' is a condition that affects the macula, the central part of the retina. When the macula is damaged, the eye loses the ability to see detail clearly in the center of the field of vision. The earlier it is detected and treated, the better the chances are of limiting the damage. There are new drugs on the market that are being tested with a high degree of success, so if you suspect you or someone you know may have it, see an eye doctor as soon as possible. Good luck.

Generally this is from a lack of sleep. However some drug abuse can cause this as well.

There are many macular degeneration vitamins on the market that are promoted to help with vision. I will go over some of the ingredients that should be included in these eye health supplements. However, no matter how good any vitamin is, it is no substitute for healthy diet that includes antioxidant rich foods and eliminates or reduces the amount of processed foods and foods high in sugar and carbohydrates. See related link for more about antioxidant rich foods.

Several years ago when I found out that my husband's father had macular degeneration, I went to the drugstore to get some eye vitamins for my husband to perhaps help prevent or delay the onset of AMD in his eyes. I walked out of the store with nothing - the choices and options were so overwhelming I just didn't know which one to buy. I've learned quite a bit about vitamins since then.

Two of the most important carotenoids are lutein and zeaxanthin. Both of these antioxidants actually help build the macular pigment - a pigment in the retina that protects our eyes internally just like sunglasses do externally. The thicker the pigment the more protection. However, our bodies cannot make lutein or zeaxanthin, one must get them from diet or supplements. Studies have shown that macular pigment density which can be measured, does improve with foods rich in these antioxidants or by taking vitamins with them. See related link for more information.

I have Myopic Macular Degeneration (MMD) which is caused from extremely high myopia (short sightedness).

Most people with Macular Degeneration have the Age-Related form which usually occurs in people over the age of 65 and is due to ageing, as opposed to MMD which is more mechanical and caused by the stretching of the eyeball due to the high level of myopia.

Although the causes of these types of MD are different, the end result is usually the same which includes loss of central vision. Central vision is the vision we use for fine detail such as reading.

There are now a few drugs available that can help prevent any further vision loss and in some cases, reverse vision loss before it has a chance to scare and become permanent. These drugs are called Avastin and Lucentis, long story but both drugs acheive about the same results, although Lucentis is meant to be more effective as it has been designed for the eye, whereas Avastin was designed to treat colon cancer. Avastin is much cheaper than Lucentis so many patients around the world use Avastin. Some countries may fund Lucentis and in those areas, it will be the drug of choice.

Follow My Eyes Diary (see related link below) for more info on these drugs and my experiences with them.

A number of studies have indicated that a lycopenerich diet lowers the risk of certain chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer , and age-related macular degeneration.

The most common is Vitamin A. The derivative of this is Beta-cerotine which helps to ad pigment to retina which in turn aids in vision. Other vitamins like E and C will help overall too.

The newest approved treatment for macular degeneration is injection of anti-angiogenic drugs into the eyeball. This stops hemorrhaging in patients who develop the "wet" form of the disease. Currently, a good deal of research is being conducted to improve upon this procedure and also to treat the less severe "dry" form of macular degeneration.

This is not a question that one answers with just a yes or no. Dry macular degeneration develops as a result of several different causes - the two main ones being genetics and diet or lifestyle. While there are several different dry macular degeneration treatments in clinical trials, there is no standard traditional treatment for dry age related macular degeneration. However, that doesn't mean that dry macular degeneration can't be reversed, but a person has to be willing to make some serious changes to their diet and lifestyle.

Chronic inflammation seems to play an important role in the degeneration of the macula. One of the best diets to address inflammation is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet. There are foods that are pro-inflammatory and foods that are anti-inflammatory. You can find out more by going to these links.

These sound like petechiae, which are hemorrhages of tiny capillaries under the skin. You can sometimes get them on your neck from coughing hard or vomiting forcefully or sometimes they will appear on your arm after having your blood drawn where the tourniquet was placed. They are usually harmless, however, if you are showing signs of illness and the petechiae show up for no reason, it may be a sign of something more serious, so it is always best to check with your physician.

While bananas and monkey poop may be low in iron, you probably don't want to live off of bananas, and probably don't want to touch, let alone eat monkey poop, so some other foods are, chicken, pork, flounder, peanut butter, and broccoli. Hope this helps.

-A.

yes, on certain conditions such as you indirectly getting the lightit will slightly darken the color but dont worry it willl go back to normal in awhile . its barely noticeable.

It means you have pretty close to perfect vision as 20/20 is considered perfect. Simply put, most people see at 25 feet what you see at 20.

A small firm lump under your skin at the base of your penis could be a cyst, but this should be confirmed with a doctor.

There are many Herbs found, which have the Natural Healing Properties.These herbs have the property to cure any kind of Muscular Disintegration.To get an idepth knowlegde you can check on some of the web sites online which would give you an Indepth knowledge about these Natural Healing Herbs .

In addition to this i have found that Beta carotene Which is found in the roots of carrots can help slow down the progression of Macular degeneration. I have a doctor at the University of Michigan that i told me that i should start taking it and another one i will get back to you on that one but i have found that it has been quite helpful considering over the course of a year my vision has deteriorated from 20/40 to 20/80. After taking this for a while i have found that my vision hasn't been getting to much worse althought there is still no REAL medical way to stop it (To the best of my Knowledge).

Macular holes are often mistaken as macular degeneration or AMD which is age associated macular degeneration but they are in fact two totally different conditions and require two completely different treatments as AMD has two forms which are the wet type and the dry type and are caused usually by a build up of calcium and plaques over the macular which is the part of the retina that controls your central vision and is usually asociated with age and occurring usually in people over 55 years of age and macular holes are caused by the stretching or pulling of the macular and the hole occurs when the macula splits at its centre. It is caused by the jelly within the eye which is called the vitreous pulling on the macula

you get macular degeneration from getting repeated sunburns

Macular degeneration (AMD) is the result of many different processes that lead to degeneration or dying of photoreceptor cells in the macula. The macula is a tiny spot in the center of the retina. It is responsible for our straight ahead or central vision. The vision that is required to read a book or recognize a face. Peripheral vision is still functioning.

When circulation to the macula is hindered, nutrients and oxygen are unable to nourish it and waste products build up causing even more harm. Genes play an important role in causing macular degeneration. Those who smoke are at a much higher risk of developing AMD because of the damage that it causes to the blood vessels. Those with high blood pressure are also at greater risk, because of the silent damage from hypertension to the artery walls. The aging process from oxidation leads to degenerative diseases like AMD as does chronic inflammation.

degeneration of the retinal cells in the fovea centralis

Macular degeneration is a loss of central or straight ahead vision, making it difficult to read or to recognize faces. The photoreceptor cells of the macula which are also responsible for our sharp, detailed vision degenerate or die. The less photoreceptor cells the worse the vision. However, it is not blindness. Peripheral or side vision is unaffected. The progression of age-related macular degeneration is different for each person and for each eye. Those with wet macular degeneration experience a more sudden and severe vision loss than those with dry macular degeneration.