Outpatient clinic often encountered patients complain: physical examination found that “I have old yellow” “I have macular”, macular is a disease? Is macula a disease? What is the specific meaning of macula in the patient’s mouth? First of all, what is macula? The macula is a normal structure in our eyes, located in the center of the retina, an important part of the visual function; once a lesion occurs, it will significantly affect vision. Secondly, macular refers to macular degeneration found on physical examination. In the elderly population, the most common macular degeneration is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which many patients call “old yellow”. AMD is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries in Europe and the United States. In our country, AMD is the third most common cause of blindness after cataract and glaucoma. AMD can be divided into two types: dry AMD and wet AMD. Of course, wet AMD is the one that causes serious vision loss, but today we are going to talk about dry AMD, which is considered less serious. What is dry AMD? Dry AMD is, as the name suggests, the absence of water (exudation) and neovascularization, and it usually affects both eyes, and the most common symptom is a blurring of light in the field of vision, such as difficulty in recognizing faces, or the need to use more light to read. The most common symptoms are mild blurring of vision, such as difficulty recognizing faces, needing more light to read, etc.; as the condition worsens, blurry dark spots appear in the center of the field of vision, and even gradual loss of central vision. Vitreous membrane warts are the most common sign in the early stages. Dry AMD can progress to wet AMD or geographic atrophy in the later stages of the disease, which can lead to severe visual impairment. Fundus color map of a patient with dry AMD Who is at greater risk of developing AMD The risk of developing AMD increases with age, and other risk factors include: 1. Smoking: smokers have a risk of AMD that is several times higher than that of non-smokers; 2. Obesity: obesity has been associated with the progression of early- to mid-stage AMD to late-stage AMD; 3. Ethnicity: people of white race are more likely to develop AMD and to lose their vision; 4. Family history: people with a family history of AMD are at risk of developing the disease. Family history: people with a family history of AMD are at higher risk of developing the disease; 5. Gender: women present a higher risk; 6. Excessive light exposure: light damage to the retina increases the risk of developing the disease. How to detect AMD People over 50 years old should have routine eye checkups every year, including visual acuity, intraocular pressure, dilated pupil examination of the fundus, and if any abnormality is found, the doctor will prescribe further examinations such as OCT and imaging according to your condition. In addition, elderly people can use Amsler’s square table to check themselves at home (Amsler’s square table can be downloaded from the website). The test is done by looking at the chart with one eye. Under normal circumstances, you can see that the lines of the table are straight and each cell is square. People with visual distortions can find uneven lines or squares on the Amsler chart. Those with micropsia find that some of the squares in the Amsler table are particularly tight, as if some of the threads in the gauze used for dressings had been drawn taut. In macropsia, certain squares are found to be irregularly enlarged. In relative central dark spot, it is found that there seems to be a mist in front of the lines of certain grids, and sometimes these lines or grids cannot be seen clearly or even disappear. Relative center dark spot may also have visual distortion. The image on the left shows what the normal eye sees, while the image on the right shows the distorted and blocked vision seen by an AMD patient. There is no effective treatment for dry AMD. Dry AMD can be slowed down by taking “ocular antioxidants”, but please note that ocular antioxidants do not cure AMD, nor do they restore vision that has already been lost. Please note that ocular antioxidants will not cure AMD or restore vision that has already been lost. Ophthalmic antioxidants are generally referred to as “ocular antioxidants” containing lutein, carotene, vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin C, and vitamin D. carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc oxide and copper oxide. Precautions for macular degeneration patients in daily life 1. Bring sunglasses to reduce light damage. 2, Quit smoking. 3.Lighting: patients have higher requirements for lighting than normal people, therefore, try to use lighting with higher wattage when reading books and newspapers. 4, appropriate exercise, weight control. 5, maintain a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet, eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Lutein is a carotenoid that cannot be produced in the body, but can be ingested through food. Including: carrots, corn, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, celery, spinach, sweet potatoes, goji berries, kiwi, red grapes, melon, dried apricots and so on.