Age Related Macula Degeneration
5. How can I help myself?
As previously stated, there is little clinically
that can be done once ARMD is diagnosed and established. Regular
visits to an eye care professional are advisable, although spectacles
can offer very little significant benefit in ARMD.
Some sources have courted controversy and quoted a
combination of vitamins and trace elements as being beneficial.
As yet no actual clinical benefit has been proved but vitamins E,
A and C, as well as zinc, have been suggested and any possible beneficial
effects are being investigated.
Risk factors associated with ARMD, other than age,
include an identified genetic (and hence possible hereditary) link,
race/gender (white women being more at risk), smoking, hypertension
and postmenopausal women (if not receiving oestrogen therapy).
When considering self-help, probably the single most
important factor in helping ARMD sufferers is the one that is most
often neglected. The importance of a good, directional non-glare
light source, when attempting any near visual task, cannot be emphasised
too strongly. Also, techniques such as Eccentric Viewing and Sensory
Substitution are particularly effective in ARMD. Similarly the use
of Magnifying Devices and other Non Optical Devices can prove to
be of great benefit.
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