Wet Macular Degeneration (WMD) is an age
related disease that manifests itself as vision loss in the centre of your
field of vision. Usually it is caused due to abnormal blood vessels that leak
fluid or blood into the region of the macula. The macula is in the centre of
the retina. There are two types of macular degeneration. Dry macular
degeneration is the other type. It is more common and less severe than WMD. WMD
usually begins as Dry Macular Degeneration.
The symptoms of WMD are varied and increase
in their intensity as the time spent with the disease increases. Some of the
symptoms are:
1)
Visual distortions like
straight lines appearing crooked and vice-versa. Object appearing farther and
bigger than they actually are.
2)
Decreasing central vision.
3)
Decreasing intensity or decreasing
brightness of colors.
4)
Blind spot or blurry spot in
the centre of the field of vision.
5)
Onset of blurriness.
6)
Rapid worsening.
7)
Hallucinations of geometric
shapes and other illusionary stuff during the advanced stages of the disease.
Believe it or not but we
still don’t know the causes of Wet Macular Degeneration.
The condition only develops in those people who have already had a bout of Dry
Macular Degeneration. Wet Macular Degeneration can develop in the following
ways:
1)
Vision loss caused by Abnormal
Blood Vessel growth: WMD develops when there is a spurt in the growth of
abnormal blood vessels in the choroid and then into the macular portion of the
retina. This specific condition is known as choroidal neovascularization. The
abnormal blood vessels leak fluid and blood in the space between the choroid
and macula. This fluid is responsible for the rapid loss of central vision.
Also your vision becomes blurry with permanent blank spots scattered randomly
in your field of vision.
2)
Vision loss due to fluid
buildup in the back of the eye: Whenever fluid leaks from the choroid and
builds up between the choroid and a thin cell layer called the retinal pigment
epithelium, it leads to loss of vision in your field of vision and the
development of Wet Macular Degeneration in your retina.
Factors that may increase the risk of you developing Wet
Macular Degeneration are:
1)
Family History of WMD: You
chances of developing WMD increase manifold if someone in your family has
already had it. There is a certain gene connection that is yet to be explored
in WMD.
2)
Age: People over the age of 50
usually develop WMD.
3)
Race: It is common in whites.
4)
Smoking
5)
Obesity
6)
High Blood Pressure
7)
Cardiovascular disease.
