beark...
Hopefully you will be pleased with knowing the facts that resulted
from extensive research, even though the information holds out
little hope for your friend's condition. My mother also had this
condition, so I can empathize.
I'll start with the bad news. Your friend's condition is known as
'macular degeneration', and there are two kinds, 'wet' and 'dry'.
These are commonly discussed together on vision care websites, and
in researching them, I repeatedly ran across the same phrase with
regard to 'dry macular degeneration':
"there is no proven treatment for dry macular degeneration"
The phrase was so common, in fact, that I did a search for that
specific phrase, which would not return a response unless that
exact phrase was found. It turned up 22 matches!
://www.google.com/search?q=%22there+is+no+proven+treatment+for+dry+macular+degeneration%22
Here's what else I found:
"Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a degenerative
condition of the macula (the central retina). It is the
most common cause of vision loss in the United States in
those 50 or older, and its prevalence increases with age.
AMD is caused by hardening of the arteries that nourish
the retina. This deprives the sensitive retinal tissue
of oxygen and nutrients that it needs to function and
thrive. As a result, the central vision deteriorates."
"Macular degeneration varies widely in severity. In the
worst cases, it causes a complete loss of central vision,
making reading or driving impossible. For others, it
may only cause slight distortion. Fortunately, macular
degeneration does not cause total blindness since it does
not affect the peripheral vision."
"AMD is classified as either wet (neovascular) or dry
(non-neovascular). About 10% of patients who suffer
from macular degeneration have wet AMD. This type occurs
when new vessels form to improve the blood supply to
oxygen-deprived retinal tissue. However, the new vessels
are very delicate and break easily, causing bleeding and
damage to surrounding tissue."
From the St Luke's Clinic webpage on macular degeneration:
http://www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions/MacularDegeneration.asp
Risk factors for macular degeneration include:
* Age - people over the age of 50 are at a greater risk
of AMD
* Race - whites are more likely to develop AMD than
African-Americans
* Gender - women are at a greater risk of developing
macular degeneration
* Smoking - smoking increases the risk of AMD
* Genetics - patients with a family history of AMD are
at a greater risk of developing the eye disease
"Although there is no known cure for macular degeneration,
there is a treatment for the wet form of the disease. If
diagnosed early, wet AMD can be treated with laser eye
surgery or photodynamic therapy. This treatment can stop
further formation of blood vessels, but it cannot reverse
damage that has already been done."
From the VisionLossFYI website:
http://www.visionlossfyi.com/macular_degeneration.html
Another excellent resource, Lighthouse International, notes:
"With age, certain cells in the macula may deteriorate.
Today, as people live longer, more are diagnosed with
macular degeneration. What is not clear is why this
happens with age. Possible causes include:
* a lack of certain vitamins, minerals or other nutrient
compounds needed by the retina
* breakdown in the circulation to the retina
* excessive levels of cholesterol or sugar in our diets that,
over time, may contribute to the degenerative process
* untreated general health problems such as hypertension
* excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, the harmful
radiation from the sun
* heredity
"Although no effective surgical or medical treatment for
macular degeneration is currently available, there is
still much that can be done. Vision rehabilitation
agencies like Lighthouse International offer a variety
of counseling and training services that can help people
with macular degeneration."
"Doctors specializing in low vision care perform a
comprehensive evaluation of your vision and then
prescribe optical devices to help you use your
remaining vision more effectively. These may include
high-powered spectacles, magnifiers or telescopes.
And a closed-circuit television (CCTV), which displays
text on a screen in a magnified form, can help with
reading. Training is necessary to help you use these
devices."
"You can learn new ways to perform daily activities
such as cooking, managing finances and personal
grooming. Vision rehabilitation teachers can suggest
ways to: mark clothes, groceries and medications so
they are recognizable and easily found; modify the
home for safety and comfort; and improve lighting
and reduce glare."
"Training is also available to help you get around in
your home or outdoors. Orientation and mobility
instructors can teach you to travel safely and confidently.
"There are many devices and products that can make it
possible to do things for yourself. Clocks and telephones
with large numbers, bold-lined paper, signature guides
and black felt-tipped pens are just a few simple and
inexpensive products that make daily tasks easier.
"Talking" or large-print books are also important
resources called adaptive devices. These products
and many other useful items are available from The
Lighthouse Catalog and The Lighthouse Store."
http://www.lighthouse.org/macular_degeneration.htm
Lighthouse International also talks about nutrition:
"Scientists found that people who are at high risk of
developing advanced stages of AMD (i.e., people who
have intermediate AMD, or advanced AMD in one eye)
lowered their risk by about 25 percent when taking
a combination of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene
and zinc. In the same group of patients, the nutrients
reduced the risk of vision loss caused by advanced
AMD by 19 percent."
"The daily dosages used were:
Vitamin C: 500 milligrams
Vitamin E: 400 international units
Beta-carotene: 15 milligrams
Zinc oxide: 80 milligrams
Cupric oxide: 2 milligrams (this nutrient was added
because high-dose zinc supplements are associated
with copper deficiency)"
http://www.lighthouse.org/resources_amd_nutrition.htm
From an article by Chris Woolston, M.S., on the BluePrint
for Health website:
"Today's treatments leave much room for improvement, and
researchers across the country are working to answer the
call. Within a few years, patients may be able to choose
from a variety of new medications, surgeries, or radiation
treatments that can stop macular degeneration without
damaging the eye."
and more on nutrition:
"Nobody knows for sure, but some experts believe certain
nutrients can protect your eyes from macular degeneration.
In fact, if you're at high risk for the disease or already
have the dry form, changing your diet may be your only
chance for protecting your vision."
"The most promising nutrients for preventing macular
degeneration seem to be lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids
found in yellow corn and dark green, leafy vegetables.
These pigments are also abundant in the eyes, and they
seem to help protect the retina from damage. A study by
the National Institutes of Health found that people who
ate spinach or collard greens five or more times each
week were almost 90 percent less likely to develop
macular degeneration."
"Green vegetables are undoubtedly good for you, but it
may not be wise to load up on lutein or zeaxanthin
supplements. Carotenoids can have unwanted effects
in large doses; for instance, too much lutein can
block the effects of lycopene, another carotenoid
that may help prevent lung cancer and prostate cancer.
In general, you're better off getting your protection
in natural forms."
"Some ophthalmologists believe that other nutrients,
such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc,
can also slow down or even prevent macular
degeneration, but the supporting evidence is
relatively flimsy. For instance, a recent Harvard
study of over 21,000 men found that regular intake
of vitamin C, vitamin E or multivitamin supplements
didn't significantly reduce the risk of macular
degeneration. In fact, vitamin C supplements seemed
to slightly increase the odds of the disease. Until
more is known, load up on leafy greens instead."
http://blueprint.bluecrossmn.com/topic/macular;jsessionid=TEAIKJ51XVMJUCTYAITTF4Q#3
I'll close by telling you of the existence of a study
being conducted which may hold some hope for those
with dry macular degeneration:
"In a recent 30 patient study at the University of Utah,
the results suggested that certain patients with dry
AMD experienced some improvement in their vision when
they received apheresis treatments using this
experimental blood filtration procedure (Rheopheresis™
blood filtration). In addition, a 40-patient European
study recently concluded that Rheopheresis safely
improved vision in some AMD patients."
"Membrane Differential Filtration (therapeutic apheresis)
is a blood treatment that uses two filters to deplete
certain unwanted macromolecules from the blood that are
known to promote certain types of diseases, especially
vascular diseases. The Plasmaflo™ (plasma separator)
and the Rheofilter™ (plasma component separator filter)
are used in sequence to remove certain high molecular
weight proteins from the blood during this treatment.
The purified blood plasma is then recombined with the
separated components and both are re-infused into your
body using a sterile closed circuit."
From the St Luke's Clinic website:
http://www.stlukeseye.com/news/Details.asp?ArticleID=137
Participants for the study are screened and half of the
participants will receive placebo treatments, so the
benefits of participating are questionable, but with
positive outcomes, the results of such studies are
hopeful.
There are, of course, additional facts and resources
available to you on the links cited above, and in the
search results listed below.
Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by means of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.
sublime1-ga
Searches done, via Google:
eye "macular degeneration" dry
://www.google.com/search?q=eye+%22macular+degeneration%22+dry
treatment OR operation "dry macular degeneration"
://www.google.com/search?q=treatment+OR+operation+%22dry+macular+degeneration%22
surgery "dry macular degeneration" -"no treatment"
://www.google.com/search?q=surgery+%22dry+macular+degeneration%22+-%22no+treatment%22
"there is no proven treatment for dry macular degeneration"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22there+is+no+proven+treatment+for+dry+macular+degeneration%22 |
