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Dry eye is a chronic medical condition that develops when the eye's tear film does not lubricate and protect the eye's outer surface.
Watch RPB’s online educational event, “RPB Lunch & Learn: Eye on AMD,” featuring RPB-supported researchers giving an overview of AMD disease pathology and treatment options, as well as providing insight into new research directions.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a vision disorder caused by abnormalities in a portion of the eye’s retina called the macula. Early symptoms of AMD are blurred central vision and a waviness of straight lines. The blurriness may progress to blind spots, affecting reading, TV watching and many other pleasures of independent living. There are two stages of AMD. Early AMD is far more common but late AMD has a far greater impact on vision.
Late AMD can be subdivided into the dry, or non-neovascular, form and the wet, or neovascular, form. Dry AMD is characterized by more extensive pigmentary abnormalities in the macula and by a somewhat extensive loss of pigment cells and vision cells in the central macula. It is called dry because it is not associated with abnormal blood vessels or leakage of blood or fluid. Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced form of dry AMD.
Wet AMD occurs in about 10% of patients who have late AMD. It is characterized by an overgrowth of blood vessels, behind the macula, that leak blood or fluid or both. This leads to damage of the vision cells. Age is the single greatest risk factor for macular degeneration. Leaky blood vessels under the macula can cause changes in vision. Studies supported by RPB show that lifestyle choices may influence the onset and progression of AMD.
You can use this test to periodically look for signs of age-related macular degeneration at home. However, an exam by an eyecare clinician is needed to diagnose any form of AMD.
Today, thanks to decades of research, there are treatments that exist for patients with both wet AMD (anti-VEGF injections) and GA secondary to AMD (such as pegcetacoplan injection and avacincaptad pegol injection). These treatments slow the progression of the diseases. Speak with your eyecare clinician about lifestyle modifications and medications that can help to slow the progression of AMD.