Question 1

does chronic alcoholism cause macular degeneration in children?

Accepted Answer

No: You can get damage to the brain from excess alcohol but no evidence for macular damage has been shown.

Question 2

do children ever get macular degeneration? i've heard there are forms of macular degeneration that strike only children. is that true? how common are they?

Accepted Answer

Age : Age related macular degeneration cannot happen in children by definition.  However, there are many diseases that impact the macula portion of the retina preferentially (cone rod dystrophy, stargardt's disease, dominant drusen, best disease... Too manny to list here.).  These are often inherited eye diseases - many of them have known gene associations.

In general these are rare conditions.  If your eye doctor starts tossing around "macular degeneration" to describe your child's eye condition, i would recommend seeking a second opinion from a specialist in ophthalmic genetics.  We have alll seen patients get poor information from non-expert eye doctors in this area.

Question 3

my dad has macular degeneration and so do i. is this genetic? could my children have it?

Accepted Answer

Could be: There is no question that genetics can play a role in the development of amd.  It is multifactorial though and just because you have a strong family history doesn't necessarily mean you will pass it down.  But your kids will need to be closely followed when they're older.

Question 4

if a parent has age-related macular degeneration, can the children take lutein as a precaution?

Accepted Answer

No one knows: Lutein is a strong anti oxidant that preferentially accumalates in the macula and protects against damage from uv light. It is being studied as we speak in a big study by the national eye institute. Until now there have been anecdotal stories that it may have protective value but no studies to prove its efficacy. There is no evidence that it is valuable in children of patients.

Question 5

if a parent has age-related macular degeneration, should the children take lutein or other prevention?

Accepted Answer

Other prevention: The main risk factors for macular degeneration are smoking, age, high blood pressure and having minimal pigmentation (blue eyes, blond hair). Supplement for macular degeneration have only proven to be preventative when certain levels of damage already exist. Before that, use sunglasses, eat healthily, exercise and don't smoke.

Question 6

what is macular degeneration ?

Accepted Answer

See below: Age-related macular degeneration (amd) is a retinal condition which  affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula). There are “dry” and “wet” forms. It is a top cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults (>50 years) in industrialized countries.

Question 7

is macular degeneration curabr?

Accepted Answer

No: Macular degeneration cannot be cured.  Certain vitamins and fish oil can slow the progression of the disease.

Question 8

how can i help my macular degeneration?

Accepted Answer

See ophthalmologist: Regularly, and in some cases, eye vitamins can help. Also avoid sun.

Question 9

what is symptom of macular degeneration?

Accepted Answer

Varries: I have seen patients with many different symptoms (first sign) of macular degeneration.  The most common is decreased ability to read (or need more light to read) or difficulty adapting to sudden changes in the lighting in the environment;  light to dark or dark to light situations.

Question 10

macular degeneration.what is recommended?

Accepted Answer

See Below: Dry (nonexudative) age-related macular degeneration (amd) is treated with areds (age-related eye disase study) vitamins. Wet (exudative) amd is treated with ocular injections (intravitreal avastin, lucentis, (ranibizumab) or eylea). See a retina specialist.

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Doctor answers about:

Macular degeneration in children

A member asked:

Does chronic alcoholism cause macular degeneration in children?

A member asked:

Do children ever get macular degeneration? i've heard there are forms of macular degeneration that strike only children. is that true? how common are they?

A member asked:

My dad has macular degeneration and so do i. is this genetic? could my children have it?

A member asked:

If a parent has age-related macular degeneration, can the children take lutein as a precaution?

A member asked:

If a parent has age-related macular degeneration, should the children take lutein or other prevention?

A member asked:

What is macular degeneration ?

A member asked:

Is macular degeneration curabr?

A member asked:

How can i help my macular degeneration?

A member asked:

What is symptom of macular degeneration?

A member asked:

Macular degeneration.what is recommended?

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