QUESTION: Are there types of macular degeneration other than AMD?
Yes, there are. They vary mostly in their cause, but can also vary in age of onset.
Most of our Facebook group members have AMD which is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (or ARMD or age-related maculopathy). I try to be precise and use AMD when the information is specific to this type.
Specific to AMD
- It’s the only type with drusen (yellow fatty deposits in the macula). There are 2 types: dry and wet.
- This is the only type where the AREDS2-based supplements have been tested.
- It’s the only type where the Mediterranean way of eating has been studied.
Myopic Macular Degeneration (MMD)
Myopia is also called nearsightedness or shortsightedness. With myopia, close objects look clear, but distant objects appear blurred. Myopia is a common condition that affects an estimated 25% of Americans. It is not a type of macular degeneration or other eye disease. It’s a problem with focusing because the eyeball changes shape from the normal baseball-like one to a football-like one. The focusing problem comes from the distance from the cornea to the retina is too long.
Most myopia can be corrected with refraction, ie, specific prescriptions for eyeglasses. However, if the myopia progresses to high myopia (also called pathological myopia), the retina becomes thin leading to areas of atrophy & possible vision loss. If this thinning and atrophy occurs it the macula, it’s called Myopic Macular Degeneration or MMD.
The terms dry and wet are sometimes used.
There’s more about MMD in the FAQ ‘What is Myopic Macular Degeneration?’
Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)
Juvenile forms of macular degeneration are usually genetic and develop at a young age but the symptoms may not appear till a person is older:
Stargardt’s Disease which is a juvenile, inherited form
Best’s disease, also called Best’s vitelliform macular dystrophy
Macular Dystrophy – most often used to refer to a juvenile form of MD
Cone-Rod Dystrophy
Sorsby’s Macular Dystrophy
Macular telangiectasia abbreviated MacTel, sometimes referred to as idiopathic juxtafoveal macular telangiectasia. There’s Type 1 and Type 2.
What these types of macular degeneration have in common:
CNV (Choroidal NeoVascularizatin). That’s the growth of blood vessels into the macula which leak and can cause visoin loss. The treatment is with anti-VEGF injections. With CNV, this is called wet AMD. Sometimes you will see ‘wet’ MMD.
affect central vision
NOT macular degeneration:
diseases of the cornea: Fuch’s Dystrophy, Corneal Dystrophy
Macular hole, macular pucker, retinal detachment
juvenile retinoschisis
eye stroke
lattice degeneration (affects peripheral vision)
retinitis pigmentosa (RP)
floaters
References:
Stargardt’s Disease and Best’s Disease–>www.brightfocus.org/macular/article/juvenile-macular
Juvenile MD–>http://lowvision.preventblindness.org/…/types-of…
Juvenile MD–>https://www.aao.org/…/dis…/juvenile-macular-degeneration