Macular Degeneration

Today I want to share with you what I've learned about Macular Degeneration. This condition is the leading cause of severe vision loss in those 60 and over. There are two types of macular degeneration, dry and wet . The dry is more common, but the wet causes the severe vision loss.
The dry form of macular degeneration sometimes progresses into the wet form. It's estimated that over 2 million people have the wet form of macular degeneration, and is increasing by 200,000 new cases each year and may be genetic.

The Macular Degeneration Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding a cure for macular degeneration. At their website, you will find articles on the success of different treatments being explored. It has lots of good information. They also have a free e-mail newsletter to keep us abreast of all the latest developments in research.

The Macular Degeneration Network is another site packed with information and is a non-profit organization. Dr. Paul Finger is the editor, and the site has more information about him. The site has a forum for the general public that you can browse, but needs a registration before you can post.

I don't know if everyone has heard of the Mayo Clinic, but I have heard about the Mayo Clinic since I was a child. Everyone that had health problems that required a specialist went to the Mayo Clinic. The site is informative, and gives symptoms, causes, prevention, treatments, coping skills, and more.

AllAboutVision.com has a FAQ page and a Q&A page and good information. They have topics about coping, treatment, and a visual example of what the Amsler Grid would look like to someone with macular degeneration.

Medline Plus has links into other websites dealing with macular degeneration. There is a Latest News section, links to the National Institutes of Health, a section of Overviews, Diagnosis and Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention and Screening, Nutrition, Rehabilitation, Management, Specific Conditions, Related Issues, Clinical Trials, Research, Anatomy, Dictionaries and Glossaries, Directories, Organizations, and Children.

The Schepens Eye Research Institute is the largest private research
institute in America. They have sections on Eye Disease Information, Resources, News and Events, and Publications. This site gives you the information right from the horse's mouth so to speak.

MyEyeWorld.com has a good overview of macular degeneration and more pictures depicting what a person sees when they have the condition. There are links to more websites, and has a good section on treatment and causes.
MedLine is a good general information site with lots of links and a section on preventing macular degeneration.

The American Health Assistance Foundation established the Macular Degeneration research program in 1997 to fund research. Free e-mail newsletter, medical news, and illustrations. Also has a way to ask questions about ongoing research.

Bovine Colostrum and Macular Degeneration

Bovine colostrum is the substance produced by the milk glands of cows before the birth of the calf. All mammals produce this substance which helps the newborn transition to taking regular milk. It contains enzymes, antibodies, and protein. The link I've added takes you to an explanation of colostrum and its uses. This is a vendor of colostrum; I would talk to my doctor before using this. I am not in any way endorsing this treatment, I'm just giving information.

Vitamins

This site gives information about what kind of vitamins help macular degeneration, cites studies of the effectiveness of vitamins. Many links connecting to information.

I learned that macular degeneration doesn't have a cure yet, but there are treatments out there. It may have a genetic componet, dry can turn into wet, doesn't cause total blindness, one eye can be affected and then the other eye can start showing signs of macular degeneration, too.

If you're having trouble seeing go to your ophthamologist and get evaluated, because the sooner it's diagnosed, more of your sight can be saved in most cases.

Dale L. Edwards