It is just a fact of life that as people age body parts begin to wear out. Seniors have knees and hips replaced, install hearing aids, and wear prescription glasses to read and drive. Some are unfortunate enough to have vision problems glasses can't completely resolve. One of them is the age related macular degeneration Washington DC seniors, along with others, suffer from. Also known as ARMD, this is a condition that affects an area of the retina that regulates sharpness of vision. When it goes, the ability to read, drive, watch television, and work on a computer usually go with it.
The disease will take one of two forms, either wet or dry. Of these two, dry ARMD is much more prevalent. Wet ARMD is much more severe and will lead to serious loss of vision. Dry ARMD is the earlier stage of this disease. The loss of eyesight is usually gradual. It may degenerate into what is called geographic atrophy. That can cause severe loss of vision. Symptoms of ARMD include distortions, fuzziness, and shadowed areas in an individual's line of vision.
Losing your eyesight is scary, and people want to know what causes it, and if there are ways to avoid the condition. Experts say the most common cause is age, but there are other risk factors as well. These include being female, Caucasian, overweight, and a smoker. It also appears to run in families.
Smokers are at especially high risk to get the disease. Studies show that individuals who use tobacco are twenty-five percent more likely to get ARMD. It is risky to live with someone who smokes. Living with a smoker makes you two times more likely to get ARMD as those who cohabit with non-smokers.
Two other factors, and ones you can't do anything about, are heredity and eye color. Twins often share this disease. The lighter the color of your eyes, the more likely you are to develop ARMD. People with darker eye coloring have extra pigment that some researchers believe helps protect them from sun exposure. So far the evidence is inconclusive on this theory.
There are drugs thought to cause ARMD as a side effect. Anti-malarial drugs are among them. Thorazine, which is an anti-psychotic drug, is also included. Doctors also prescribe thorazine for vomiting, nausea, and excessive hiccuping. The risk associated with heredity and drugs is not as well understood as the risks posed by aging and smoking.
There is no cure for ARMD. The current treatments available can slow the progression of the disease and help prevent patients from slipping into the wet form of ARMD. There is some evidence that a person's diet can help prevent the onset of this disease or at least slow its progress.
Food that is high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cold water fish like salmon, is being researched by the scientific community for its effectiveness in preventing ARMD. Until there is a cure, seniors should consider eating an omega-3 rich diet and get plenty of exercise, Tobacco must be avoided at all costs. Seniors who are still smoking must quit the habit immediately.
The disease will take one of two forms, either wet or dry. Of these two, dry ARMD is much more prevalent. Wet ARMD is much more severe and will lead to serious loss of vision. Dry ARMD is the earlier stage of this disease. The loss of eyesight is usually gradual. It may degenerate into what is called geographic atrophy. That can cause severe loss of vision. Symptoms of ARMD include distortions, fuzziness, and shadowed areas in an individual's line of vision.
Losing your eyesight is scary, and people want to know what causes it, and if there are ways to avoid the condition. Experts say the most common cause is age, but there are other risk factors as well. These include being female, Caucasian, overweight, and a smoker. It also appears to run in families.
Smokers are at especially high risk to get the disease. Studies show that individuals who use tobacco are twenty-five percent more likely to get ARMD. It is risky to live with someone who smokes. Living with a smoker makes you two times more likely to get ARMD as those who cohabit with non-smokers.
Two other factors, and ones you can't do anything about, are heredity and eye color. Twins often share this disease. The lighter the color of your eyes, the more likely you are to develop ARMD. People with darker eye coloring have extra pigment that some researchers believe helps protect them from sun exposure. So far the evidence is inconclusive on this theory.
There are drugs thought to cause ARMD as a side effect. Anti-malarial drugs are among them. Thorazine, which is an anti-psychotic drug, is also included. Doctors also prescribe thorazine for vomiting, nausea, and excessive hiccuping. The risk associated with heredity and drugs is not as well understood as the risks posed by aging and smoking.
There is no cure for ARMD. The current treatments available can slow the progression of the disease and help prevent patients from slipping into the wet form of ARMD. There is some evidence that a person's diet can help prevent the onset of this disease or at least slow its progress.
Food that is high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cold water fish like salmon, is being researched by the scientific community for its effectiveness in preventing ARMD. Until there is a cure, seniors should consider eating an omega-3 rich diet and get plenty of exercise, Tobacco must be avoided at all costs. Seniors who are still smoking must quit the habit immediately.
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