Oceanside Macular Degeneration Treatment

Macular Degeneration Care in Carlsbad, Encinitas, & the Surrounding Areas

Because macular degeneration often has no symptoms until significant vision loss has occurred, it’s very important to detect the disease early. By making annual eye exams with pupil dilation every year by age 60 and then as directed by your optometrist, you can check for the presence of macular degeneration and other eye diseases to ensure your best eye health.

Understanding Macular Degeneration: Risks and Prevention

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older adults and occurs when the macula begins to deteriorate. The macula is the small area of the retina at the back of the eye that allows us to see fine details clearly, such as threading a needle or reading fine print, tasks that can become very difficult if not impossible to do with macular degeneration. Those who are most at risk are older people, as the incidence of macular degeneration increases with each decade past the age of 50 to almost 35% by the age of 75. Other risks factors include a family history, cigarette smoking, or eye injuries or infections. 

Advanced Treatment Options 

While there is no way to restore lost vision that results from macular degeneration, your Davies Eye Center ophthalmologist will want to monitor the condition before it can become the more serious form of macular degeneration, the “wet” form. The goal is to slow the progression of the disease and further macula deterioration. Visual aids can help with the visual impairment symptoms, including magnifying glasses, large-print reading materials, and special lighting. Every patient responds differently to treatment, and every patient’s treatment plan is individualized. 

To learn more about the diagnosis or treatment of macular degeneration in Oceanside at Davies Eye Center, please contact us at (760) 284-6724.