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maculopathy, macular degeneration, maculopathy treatments, maculopathy eye surgery, macular degeneration therapy
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Maculopathy or macular degeneration
| The retina is a thin nerve tissue that internally covers the posterior part of the eye. It is made up of photoreceptors that transform luminous stimuli into electric impulses carried by the optic nerve right up to the brain, where they are decoded and retransformed into images. The retina thereby resembles the sensor of the television camera, and the optic nerve is the transmission cable that links the camera to the television, i.e., the brain. |
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retina, nerve tissue
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The central zone of the retina allows us to distinguish the finest details of the images. It is equipped with a high density of photoreceptors and is called “macula”.
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central zone of the retina, macula
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The central part of the macula is in turn called “fovea” which has the task of perceiving the smaller details. The more external parts of the retina are instead responsible for lateral vision or peripheral vision and allow us to see all that moves around the point we are focusing on.
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central part of the macula, fovea
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Macular degeneration signifies an alteration of the central part of the retina called the macula. Macular degeneration is an important cause of irreversible damage to the functions of vision.
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macular degeneration, alteration of the retina
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The initial symptoms of maculopathy consists of hazy vision and distortion of images that involve the center of the visual field, the center of one’s gaze. Even colors are less bright.
One finds difficulty in reading, and doing activities that need near vision where small details must be focused. As maculopathy progresses the loss of central vision becomes total. Macular degeneration does not cause total blindness even in the most serious cases.
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initial symptoms of maculopathy, blindness
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There are two types of age-related maculopathy:
- The first is the “dry”(atrophic) type, characterized by a progressive thinning of the central retina, which withers when it is scarcely nurtured by the inefficient capillaries.
- The second is the “wet” type and is characterized by the formation of abnormal capillary vessels that easily lose their plasma (the liquid part of blood) and break, causing hemorrhages in the retina. Repeated hemorrhages which are repaired consequently form a central scar.
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types of age-related maculopathy, dry, wet
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Both of these forms of maculopathy are responsible for a defect of the central vision, resulting into greater dimensions of macular degeneration of the “wet” type.
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| When there is a suspected case of maculopathy, the optician/ophthalmologist examines the retina and carries out vision tests of colors, using the “Amsler Grid Test,” and in some cases, fluorescein angiography or eye angiography with green indocyanine which are both photographic tests and do not involve radiology. In this way the eye specialist is able not only to better specify the diagnosis and the phase of the illness, but also to use the tests as a guide for treatments. |
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case of maculopathy, fluorescein angiography, angiography with green indocyanine
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Contact Us
For particular needs contact Angelo Appiotti’s Perfect Vision Team, with professionalism and courtesy at your disposal.
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