One of the most annoying things about growing older is that the body starts to wear out. Knees and hips have to be replaced. Hearing aids and prescription glasses become necessary accessories. Sometimes seniors have vision problems eyeglasses won't fix. The macular degeneration Washington DC senior suffer is one of them. Also referred to as ARMD, this condition involves the area of retinas that affect the sharpness of a person's vision. When it degenerates, reading, driving, watching television, and working on a computer are no longer options.
There are two forms of this disease, the wet and the dry. Of these two, dry ARMD is far and away the most common. The wet form is more severe and more likely to lead to a serious loss of eyesight. The dry form is the earliest stage of the disease. Vision loss is gradual with dry ARMD, but can degenerate into geographic atrophy which causes severe loss of eyesight. Early signs of the disease include fuzziness, distortions, and shadowy areas in a person's line of vision.
The thought of losing your vision is scary. People are concerned about the causes and what can be done to avoid it. Age is the most common cause, but that are other factors that put individuals at risk as well. These factors include being Caucasian, a woman, a smoker, and overweight. It is believed that the disease has a genetic component.
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.
ARMD has no cure. The most medical professionals can do is attempt to slow the progress of ARMD and try to prevent the dry form from turning into the wet form. It is believed that diet plays a factor in preventing the disease.
Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and other cold water fish are among the foods scientists are studying. Until a cure is found, the best idea for seniors is to eat a diet high in omega-3s, and exercise regularly. Most importantly, stay away from tobacco.
There are two forms of this disease, the wet and the dry. Of these two, dry ARMD is far and away the most common. The wet form is more severe and more likely to lead to a serious loss of eyesight. The dry form is the earliest stage of the disease. Vision loss is gradual with dry ARMD, but can degenerate into geographic atrophy which causes severe loss of eyesight. Early signs of the disease include fuzziness, distortions, and shadowy areas in a person's line of vision.
The thought of losing your vision is scary. People are concerned about the causes and what can be done to avoid it. Age is the most common cause, but that are other factors that put individuals at risk as well. These factors include being Caucasian, a woman, a smoker, and overweight. It is believed that the disease has a genetic component.
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.
ARMD has no cure. The most medical professionals can do is attempt to slow the progress of ARMD and try to prevent the dry form from turning into the wet form. It is believed that diet plays a factor in preventing the disease.
Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and other cold water fish are among the foods scientists are studying. Until a cure is found, the best idea for seniors is to eat a diet high in omega-3s, and exercise regularly. Most importantly, stay away from tobacco.
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