Local Eye Experts Provide Help and Hope for People Suffering from AMD and Low Vision

DETROIT - Feb. 17, 2016 - PRLog -- With people in the United States living longer, eye diseases and vision loss have become major public health concerns. According to the National Eye Institute, some 4.2 million Americans ages 40 and older are visually impaired. By 2030, when the last baby boomers turn 65, this number is projected to reach 7.2 million, with 5 million having low vision.

February is National AMD (age-related macular degeneration) and Low Vision Awareness Month. The experts at the Vision Institute of Michigan are working not only to educate people on these conditions, but to provide patients with treatment, rehabilitation, and hope to maintain their independence and minimize the loss of vision.

Low Vision is a visual impairment that cannot be fully corrected with standard eyeglasses, medications, contact lenses, or surgery. The condition is not a natural part of aging, but it occurs most often in older adults because they are most likely to contract diseases that cause low vision, like macular degeneration.

Macular Degeneration is a disease that affects the central vision by damaging the macula, the central part of the retina that lets us see fine detail. Central vision is essential for driving, reading, and recognizing faces. AMD has become the leading cause of blindness and vision loss in Americans over the age of 65.

“AMD is a condition that can progress slowly over time, without pain or very noticeable changes,” said Dr. Sevak Valijan, a leading ophthalmologist at the Vision Institute of Michigan. “What may seem like just minor vision loss due to aging, could be AMD. Some of the symptoms include trouble seeing details or telling colors apart, blurred vision, shadows, or dark spots, and difficulty adjusting from bright environments to dark ones. While there is no cure, the earlier we can detect macular degeneration, the better a patient’s chances are to retain more of their central vision.”

AMD and Low Vision make simple daily activities like reading, driving, cooking, or watching TV very challenging, and can often leave people, especially those over 65, feeling anxious, helpless, or depressed. Awareness and early detection are key in the progression of this disease. Anyone experiencing AMD symptoms should be screened as quickly as possible.

The specialists at the Vision Institute of Michigan can perform comprehensive AMD screenings and offer patients a variety of therapies and treatments that can slow the disease’s progression and help them retain more of their central vision.

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About the Vision Institute Of Michigan

The Surgery Center of Michigan is among the top 10% of eye centers in the world to offer patients the safety, precision and accuracy of the LENSAR Laser System. The LENSAR also makes laser correction of astigmatism now possible with more precise and predictable laser-guided application.