Memory. Control. Now Sight??

Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease are both well-known neurodegenerative disorders, one which affects memory in the hippocampus, and the other which affects muscle control from cell death in the substantia nigra. However, since the brain essentially controls everything in the body, it is important to understand other age-related changes that indirectly affect the brain’s perception, like macular degeneration, which affects vision. I know that discussing all these problems of aging on the brain seems morose, but it is definitely advantageous to discuss the effects of aging on the brain so that symptoms can be detected early on and preventative measures can be taken.

According to Marilyn Haddrill, age-related macular degeneration, also known as AMD, is the leading cause of blindness and loss of vision for Americans who are 65 years or older. In addition, because the number of people in this age group are increasing, the number of individuals facing this problem are increasing.

AMD is a degenerative disorder that results in the death of photoreceptors and supporting epithelial cells in the central part of the retina, or macula. Because of this, central vision is lost and things begin to look blurred and distorted. There are two forms of AMD: dry and wet. Dry AMD occurs usually results from thinning of macular tissues or depositing of pigment in the macula. Wet AMD is the more severe and progressive form of AMD and results from new blood vessel growth under the macula that causes scarring which leaves light-sensitive retinal cells damaged.

Treatment for AMD can slow the progress and slightly improve vision. FDA approved treatments include, Lucentis, Macugen, and photodynamic therapy. In addition, new research is being done to find more ways of treating AMD. The National Eye Institute is studying the possibility of transplanting healthy cells into the retina to take the place of dead cells and also looking into anti-inflammatory treatments for wet AMD. While aging is a risk factor of AMD, like all diseases, an unhealthy lifestyle can also increase the risk of getting AMD.

Resources:

1. http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/amd.htm

2. http://www.brain.ubc.ca/documents/MacularDegeneration.pdf

3. http://www.medicinenet.com/macular_degeneration_age-related_type/page8.htm#research