Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disease influenced by a combination of environmental and genetic factors, and is now one of the most common causes of blindness in the elderly.
The exact cause of AMD is unknown, and may be related to self factors, genetic factors and environmental factors.
1.Self-factors.
The older the person is, the higher the prevalence, with a prevalence rate of 2% in people aged 50 and almost 30% in people aged 75 or older, and a prevalence rate two times higher in men than in women.
2, genetic factors.
People with a family history of AMD have a higher risk of developing the disease, and whites have a higher prevalence than blacks and yellows.
3, environmental factors.
Prolonged exposure to ultraviolet light can damage the macula and increase the risk of AMD, smoking is one of the factors that can induce AMD, and the risk of AMD increases 1.9 times in smokers.
4. Other factors.
High myopia, trauma, intraocular infection, inflammation, etc.
The etiology of AMD is unclear, and the current treatment is mainly for advanced wet AMD. Although the listing of anti-VEGF drugs has brought hope for the treatment of this disease in recent years, most families still cannot afford the drugs because they are expensive and require multiple treatments. And patients with advanced AMD have poor visual improvement due to irreversible damage of macular function, so prevention of early AMD progression is an important task now.
AMD is an age-related degenerative disease, and the current preventive measures for this disease are as follows.
1.Rational diet.
Adequate intake of antioxidant nutrients can reduce the production of vitreous warts in AMD and inhibit the progression of the disease, including the following substances.
① vitamin C a person eating 7-8 medium-sized oranges, you can get the 500mg of vitamin C required for AMD.
② lutein and zeaxanthin which, in addition to being antioxidants, filter blue light and protect the macula from photo-oxidative damage, are mainly found in dark green vegetables.
③ Fatty acids The intake of unsaturated fatty acids can reduce the risk of late AMD and can be obtained from fish or fish oil capsules.
2. Good lifestyle.
Quitting smoking, controlling weight, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood sugar and and blood viscosity may reduce the risk of AMD.
3. Reduction of light exposure.
Sunglasses, filtered artificial lens, can reduce the damage of ultraviolet or blue light to the macula.
4, early screening.
Once there is a gradual decrease in vision, lines become curved, squares become deformed or smaller, or there are abnormalities such as moving black shadows, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to avoid further damage to vision and even blindness.