If the bathroom tile looks bent, I suspect it's not presbyopia 'yellow degeneration'

Sep 08, 2024

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Eyes play an important role in making us recognize objects. However, as you get older, you can't see things close to you, and your eyesight decreases, such as blurred vision. It is usually easy to think of this as 'Now that presbyopia has come', but there are several causes other than presbyopia for poor vision. In the retina of our eyes, which acts as a camera film, there is an important place called 'yellow'.

The macula is the center of the retina and is responsible for most of the vision. In the macula, the central part with a radius of about 1.5 mm is called the central wavelength, and photoreceptors that can feel light are concentrated in this area. Macular degeneration usually results in decreased vision as the visual cells in the macular area are replaced by tissues such as scars that cannot detect light and color. A typical cause of macular degeneration is aging.

Age-related macular degeneration is classified into dry (non-exudative) and wet (exudative). Dry macular degeneration accounts for the majority of age-related macular degeneration. It refers to a case in which waste products called druzen accumulate in the retina and the retina shrinks due to it, and at this stage, vision loss is not significant and there are no symptoms. However, as time passes, the macular function declines and central vision begins to decline.

Wet macular degeneration is when abnormal renal blood vessels grow. It is very weak and prone to burst, which greatly reduces vision. Damage to the macula occurs relatively quickly, and the central vision often deteriorates rapidly, and blindness occurs within two years of diagnosis.

It is important for macular degeneration to be aware of symptoms early on. In macular degeneration, letters appear to be straight or bent (at deformation), and these symptoms become more severe when looking at nearby objects. When wet macular degeneration occurs, central vision is greatly reduced. When reading a word, a central dark spot appears where the space of the letter is visible or where it does not appear to have been erased.

Early diagnosis and treatment of macular degeneration are the most important for preserving vision. In general, when visiting an ophthalmologist, a micrograph is performed, a fundus examination through obstruction, and a light interferometric tomography examination are performed. In particular, light interferometric tomography can confirm Druzen, choroidal neovascular, and retinal nerve cell damage.

Vascular endothelial growth factors play a major role in neovascularization. Direct injection of antibodies against this into the eyeball suppresses neovascularization and reduces bleeding and swelling, thereby preventing vision loss. When diagnosed with macular degeneration, the injection interval is determined according to the condition, and on average, the injection is given 5-7 times a year.

Age-related macular degeneration is easily confused with presbyopia. presbyopia makes it difficult to see small letters near you, and if you use a magnifying glass, you can see well. On the other hand, age-related macular degeneration causes problems not only in the near but also in the far distance. In particular, objects look dented, straight lines look bent, and the center is not well visible.

Kim Ju-yeon, director of the Eye Center at Seran Hospital, said "In general, macular degeneration is common due to aging, but inflammatory diseases and UV-induced macular degeneration can also occur in young people."In order to prevent macular degeneration, ultraviolet rays should be blocked through treatment for hyperlipidemia and obesity, smoking cessation, and wearing sunglasses." Smoking, in particular, lowers blood antioxidants and causes damage to the retina," he stressed.

Kim Joo-yeon, director of the Eye Center, said, `Age-related macular degeneration requires early diagnosis and constant treatment, and is treated in various ways such as lifestyle correction and intraocular injection treatmentHe stressed that early detection is the top priority because the earlier the discovery, the less damage to retinal cells, the better the treatment effect, and if a lot of damage has already been done, the effect cannot be expected significantly.