What is macular degeneration?

Macular degeneration is actually a retinal disease. The elderly are especially susceptible to this disease, so we should pay attention to the understanding of these diseases. We should eat more foods rich in vitamin A and various trace elements, and fresh fruits and vegetables are indispensable.

1. Macular degeneration is a retinal eye disease and one of the main causes of vision loss among the elderly in developed Western countries today. With the significant extension of the average life expectancy of the Chinese people, the incidence of age-related macular degeneration has been increasing in the past decade.

2. Macular degeneration mostly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people over 45 years old. The older the age, the higher the incidence rate. In the early stages, the patient's vision may be slightly affected or have little or no effect. However, when the disease develops to a certain extent, it will affect vision, especially retinal hemorrhage, which will cause a sharp drop in vision or even blindness.

3. Age-related macular degeneration can be divided into two types: atrophic and exudative. In atrophic cases, the lesions progress slowly, vision gradually decreases, and fundus changes are mainly manifested as drusen and pigment confusion in the macular area, but fundus hemorrhage and exudation will not occur. The exudative form of the disease progresses rapidly and may cause sudden loss of vision or even blindness due to rupture and bleeding of abnormal new blood vessels under the retina. When bleeding and exudation are absorbed, disc-shaped lesions may form. Medical research believes that the onset of macular degeneration may be related to heredity, congenital defects, chronic light damage, nutritional deficiencies, poisoning, drug effects, immune abnormalities, chronic hypertension, arteriosclerosis and pre-existing eye diseases, and is the result of the combined effects of multiple factors.

4. To prevent macular degeneration, middle-aged and elderly people should eat more fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and shellfish rich in vitamins A, C, E, β-carotene and trace elements such as zinc and selenium in their daily lives. They should not smoke, drink alcohol, or eat high-fat, high-cholesterol foods. People who do mental work should pay attention to eye hygiene to prevent excessive eye fatigue. Laser treatment is used in the early stages of macular degeneration to seal the diseased vascular tissue and prevent the disease from progressing. If you experience retinal hemorrhage, don't panic. Go to the hospital immediately to see a doctor, stay in bed and avoid using your eyes.

5. Generally speaking, you should stop the bleeding first. When the bleeding stops, you can use nutritional medicines that promote blood absorption and nourish the eyes, such as intravenous infusion of glucose injection + vitamin C; intramuscular injection of eye-ning, placental tissue fluid, vitamin B12; oral administration of Vincainolutong, vitamin C, cod liver oil pills, compound danshen tablets, etc. At the same time, under the guidance of a doctor, you can also take Chinese herbal medicines such as wolfberry, chrysanthemum, eupatorium, cassia seed, tribulus terrestris, and Chinese patent medicines such as Qiju Dihuang Pills and Shihu Yeguang Pills, which have good therapeutic effects on restoring vision as soon as possible.