Maine Seniors Should Be Aware of Macular Degeneration (AMD) Risk Factors

"Although age related macular degeneration (AMD) continues to be the leading cause of new blindness in Americans 65 and older, today we can say with confidence that seniors who develop AMD should not consider blindness to be inevitable," noted Vitreoretinal Specialist Scott Steidl, M.D of Eyecare Medical Group (EMG) in Portland. End Quote

Portland-South Portland, ME (1888PressRelease) January 29, 2015 - "Seniors and others concerned with age related vision loss should become familiar with the risk factors associated with age related macular degeneration (AMD). Knowing your individual risk factors, being aware of your family history and scheduling regular eye exams with your eye doctor are the critical steps to early detection, diagnosis and treatment which we know is what it takes to prevent age related vision loss," explained Aaron Parnes, M.D. a Vitreoretinal Specialist at EMG.

Know the Top AMD Risks
- Being over the Age of 60
- Having a Family History of AMD
- Cigarette Smoking
- Obesity
- Hypertension

If you have any two of these risk factors, you should schedule an appointment with your eye doctor for a complete eye exam and evaluation. Your doctor may recommend additional specialized testing if necessary as well as certain preventive measures which can reduce your risk of vision loss from this disorder.

Reducing AMD Risk Factors
There are some AMD risk factors such as stopping smoking, eating a low fat diet rich in green leafy vegetables and limiting alcohol consumption that can reduce the risk of vision loss from AMD. Other risk factors such as genetic factors cannot be changed. However, knowing your family medical history is one way to learn whether you may be genetically predisposed to a disease. For patients at high risk for developing late stage AMD, taking a dietary supplement of vitamin C, vitamin E and beta carotene, along with zinc, has been shown to lower the risk of AMD advancing to advanced stages by 25 percent.

Know the Symptoms of Wet AMD
"People who are at risk should know the symptoms of wet AMD, the form most likely to cause rapid, serious and catastrophic vision loss. Symptoms of wet AMD might include sudden, noticeable loss or distortion of vision, such as seeing "wavy" lines, "distortion", "bending of straight lines and objects," explained Vitreoretinal Surgeon Jackie Nguyen, M.D.

Treatment Options for AMD
"Current treatments for Wet AMD using injections of Vascular Endothelial Growth (VEGF) inhibitor drugs such as Lucentis® and Eylea® provide an excellent chance of stopping vision loss and may actually restore some vision when macular degeneration develops. The earlier the diagnosis of wet AMD, the better our chance of providing a successful treatment," stressed Dr. Nguyen.

Eyecare Medical Group is a leading ophthalmology practice in Portland, Maine staffed by a team of eye care specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained glaucoma specialists, retina specialists, cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists who provide cataract surgery and lens implants, (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

To learn more about Eyecare Medical Group in Portland Maine you may visit http://www.eyecaremed.com or http://www.facebook.com/eyecaremedicalgroup or follow our eye care blog at http://eyecaremed-maine.blogspot.com.

For additional information, contact:

Kathy Brackett, Eyecare Medical Group, 53 Sewall Street, Portland, Maine 04102, kbrackett ( @ ) eyecaremed dot com, 1-888-374-2020

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.
http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com
http://www.seewithlasik.com

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