“Can Glasses Help Me?”

Unfortunately, my answer to this patient was “no.”   This is wet macular degeneration that I had to send for Avastin treatment by a retinal specialist.

There are two basic types of macular degeneration: “wet” and “dry.” Approximately 10-15% of the cases of macular degeneration are the “wet” (exudative) type.

In the “wet” type of macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels (known as choroidal neovascularization or CNV) grow under the retina and macula. These new blood vessels may then bleed and leak fluid, causing the macula to bulge or lift up from its normally flat position, thus distorting or destroying central vision. Under these circumstances, vision loss may be rapid and severe.