Age-related Macular Degeneration Overview Age-related macular degeneration is a chronic, age-related disease that is one of the leading causes of vision loss in people over the age of 50 and the leading cause of irreversible loss of central vision in adults worldwide. The macula is the most important part of the retina in the fundus of the eye, named because it is rich in lutein, and mainly plays the role of fine vision, distinguishing various colors, reading books, newspapers, watching TV and seeing distant objects, all rely on the macula area in the retina. Macular degeneration is a pathological change in the macular region. When macular lesions occur in the fundus of the eye, a person’s vision will be severely reduced, with distorted vision and black spots in the center of the visual field, until irreversible vision loss occurs. Macular degeneration can be classified into atrophic (dry) and exudative (wet, neovascular) according to the clinical presentation. Dry macular degeneration is characterized by atrophy and thinning of the macular area, which affects vision to a certain extent and generally progresses slowly. In wet macular degeneration, the main cause of visual impairment is the growth of abnormal neovascularization in the subretina of the macula, which causes retinal hemorrhage, edema and destruction of retinal tissue, eventually leading to scar formation and irreversible loss of vision. Wet macular degeneration usually develops in one eye first, but it is very common for both eyes to develop in succession. If you have macular degeneration in one eye, there is a 40% chance that the other eye will develop within 5 years. Compared to surgically reversible blindness such as cataracts, wet age-related macular degeneration is a more serious condition because it can cause irreversible vision loss if treatment is delayed. Etiology: The etiology is not yet determined, but is the result of a combination of factors that may be related to genetics, chronic photodamage, nutritional disorders, poisoning, immune diseases, systemic diseases such as cardiovascular system and respiratory system. Patients’ self-symptoms: Patients often have blurred vision in the early stage, which is often mistaken for natural changes caused by aging or ‘presbyopia’ and delayed medical attention. As the disease progresses, more obvious symptoms such as distorted vision appear. In advanced stages, a black spot appears in the center of the visual field and gradually expands over time. With wet age-related macular degeneration, patients are unable to live independently, read or even walk normally due to the loss of vision. This may lead to other diseases, such as depression, anxiety, fracture, etc. In addition, the patient’s ability to take care of himself/herself is reduced, which also brings the family burden of needing a personal escort. Self-examination: A simple self-examination method for macular degeneration is the Amsler scale. Place the square meter at a distance of 30 cm from the visual horizon with clear and even light. If you have aging or myopia, you need to wear your original glasses for the test. To examine the right eye, cover the left eye with your hand and gaze at the center of the grid with the right eye; to examine the left eye, cover the right eye with your hand and gaze at the center of the grid with the left eye. If you see a gap or curve in the central area of the grid when you gaze at the central black spot, it may be a sign of a problem in the fundus, so please see your ophthalmologist for a detailed examination as soon as possible. Treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration: 1.Photodynamic therapy (PDT): Through intravenous injection of specific photosensitizer, wait for the drug to circulate into the eye, use non-thermal laser to irradiate the macular lesion area, selectively destroy the abnormal neovascularization, reduce bleeding and fluid leakage. 2.Anti-VEGF treatment Vascular endothelial cell factor (VEGF) plays a key role in the development of complex neovascularization in macular degeneration. Ranibizumab (Ranibizumab; Lucentis) is a humanized recombinant anti-VEGF monoclonal antibody fragment, which is injected into the eye by intraocular injection, and the anti-VEGF preparation can effectively bind VEGF, so that VEGF cannot exert its biological effect, thus reducing the permeability of blood vessels and inhibiting the development of complex membrane neovascularization. 3.Antioxidants As an auxiliary treatment, oral administration of vitamin C, vitamin E, Zn, lutein and zeaxanthin can prevent the damage of free radicals to cells, protect the visual cells and play the role of retinal tissue nutrition. In conclusion, early treatment is the key to macular degeneration, and regular eye examination can detect macular degeneration at an early stage, so as to get timely treatment.