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THE MAGNIFIER - Electronic Edition
Issue #1, December 21, 1999
Produced by: The Macular Degeneration Foundation
P.O. Box 9752, San Jose, CA 95157
http://www.eyesight.org
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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE
1. Facts About Macular Degeneration
2. In the Media
3. Research
4. On-line Resources
5. Low Vision Aids
6. Internet Hints
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1. FACTS ABOUT MACULAR DEGENERATION
Statistics:
- A new case of AMD is diagnosed every three minutes
- One in six Americans between 55 and 64
- One in four Americans between 64 and 74
- One in three Americans over 75
- 1.2 million have moderate to severe blindness
- 200,000 a year go completely blind, 4000 a week
Risk Factors To Be Avoided:
- Smoking - which increases risk 2.5 fold
- High Fat, high cholesterol foods
- Unprotected exposure to ultraviolet light (failure to wear sunglasses)
- Shortage of leafy dark green vegetables and foods rich in Vitamins E and C in the diet
Emerging theories about what may have a role in causing or worsening AMD:
- Because it contains so many highly active and sensitive photoreceptors the macula requires and consumes a lot of energy. Generating
this energy requires a constant and rich supply of oxygen and nutrients. Consequently, the macula has one of the highest rates of blood flow through its supply vessels. Anything interfering with this necessary rich blood supply can
cause the macula to malfunction and possibly become diseased.
- Smoking can reduce this vital blood supply by contributing to narrowing of the blood vessels and thickening the blood as it does in other parts of the
body such as the heart and brain where this process contributes to heart attacks and strokes respectively.
- A high fat, high cholesterol diet can lead to fatty plaque deposition in the macular vessels hampering blood
flow.
- Shortage of antioxidants may increase the tendency for fatty deposits to stick to blood vessel walls. Antioxidants may also act by dampening down harmful inflammation which is thought to be occurring in the
macular cells.
Some of the major areas requiring urgent further study:
- How is the blood supply to the macula controlled? Are there ways to improve flow without worsening the disease? How does the
normal macula compensate for changes in blood flow? What causes these compensating mechanisms to break down?
- What is the true nature of the inflammatory process thought to be going on in the macula? What triggers it?
What could halt this process? Can the macula regenerate itself? What would it require to do so? Why do some people with bad risk factors not get the disease? What protects their maculas? What causes drusen to accumulate?
- What role does the inheritance of faulty genes play? Can we identify specific gene types that make one more susceptible to getting disease in the macula? How can we protect children from getting this disease? Is there a
missing gene product that can be supplied to children once it's known that they have the faulty gene and so stave off the onset of macular disease?
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2. IN THE MEDIA
Proton Therapy - NBC News - Dr. Bob Arnot - Nov 24, 1999
http://www.msnbc.com/news/338680.asp
Photodynamic Therapy
http://www.eyesight.org/News/News-Photodynamic/news-photodynamic.html
Intraocular Retinal Prosthesis - ABC News - Stevie Wonder
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/2020/2020_991217_steviewonder_feature_ b.html
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3. RESEARCH
Genetic Research
http://www.eyesight.org/Real_Solutions/Multiple_Cases/multiple_cases.html
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4. ON-LINE RESOURCES
National Eye Institute
http://www.nei.nih.gov/
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5. LOW VISION AIDS
For IBM compatible PC's equipped with a sound board and speakers, consider
a software product called SCREEN READER. It is reasonably priced software that does an excellent job of reading text in web sites and email with very good speech quality while displaying the text at the font size of your
choice.
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6. INTERNET HINTS
What Browser Are You Using?
The two most common software products for browsing the internet are
NETSCAPE and INTERNET EXPLORER. Current versions are available for free from their respective web sites.
Netscape (version 4)
http://home.netscape.com/computing/download/index.html?cp=hom12p1
Internet Explorer (version 4 or 5)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/
It is important, especially to the visually challenged, to use version 4 or higher of either browser. Many of the techniques used in web site
design today take advantage of features only viewable with a version 4 browser. For example, older versions do not recognize the use of some backgrounds which presents a problem when light colored text is used. To check
for your browser's version, click on its "Help" and "About" links.
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Note: the above information does not constitute medical advice. Only your physician or licensed
ophthalmologist can dispense medical advice based upon a complete and thorough evaluation of your specific and unique situation.
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The MAGNIFIER is distributed without charge. We
hope that it will continue to serve the interests of its subscribers. Contributions to the Macular Degeneration Foundation are appreciated and may be sent to P.O. Box 9752, San Jose, CA 95157
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