Q: What is the leading cause of blindness for people over the age of 50?
A: The leading cause is age-related macular degeneration, a disease that comes in two major forms: wet and dry. In the wet form, new blood vessels grow and leak under the retina, causing severe vision loss within six months about 70 percent of the time. With treatment, we can prevent loss about 95 percent of the time. Historically, there have been few tools to combat progression of the dry type of the disease because tissue under the central retina simply seems to disappear over time. About 55 percent of dry macular degeneration is genetically driven. Research in this area has led to some remarkable ideas for treatment.
- Dr. Richard Breazeale, Southeastern Retina Associates; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society
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