Dear Senior Citizen,
While degeneration of
the muscle is correlated with advancing age, it rarely leads
to true and total blindness. The person afflicted will note
an inability to see detailed objects clearly, but will
retain good peripheral vision.
Some studies have
indicated that a healthy diet rich in fruits and green
vegetables, as well as vitamin supplements containing zinc
and lutein, may forestall the onset of tissue changes in
Senior's eyes by 20 - 30%... Also, having a family member
with macular degeneration increases a person's likelihood of
having the same by about 25%... The overwhelming statistic
however, is that smoking cessation leads to a 350%
improvement in prognosis!
One truism is that
early detection of the wet form of macular degeneration
(where the retina buckles due to rapidly growing and leaky
blood vessels in the macula) yields a better outcome when
the eye surgeon uses a special laser. In order to detect the
lesions early, patients are instructed to check their vision
with a grid (below)... Do the self-test with only one eye at
a time: If any lines are missing or wavy, it means you need
attention urgently!
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