Science & Research

Lutein esters are chemically distinct compounds from pure lutein. While lutein can be obtained from ingestion of lutein esters, these compounds must undergo enzymatic processing in the gut prior to being absorbed in the body.

There does not appear to be at present any clinical evidence linking or associating Crohn's disease and macular degeneration genetically or otherwise. However, it seems that you have a history of the disease on both sides of your family (paternal and maternal). Because your family has a known incidence of macular disease, and a history of Crohn's disease, which as you mentioned may affect one's ability to properly absorb nutrients, it is highly recommended that your younger cousins and other relatives pay close attention to changes in their eyes. It is important to mention however, that initial changes in vision due to problems with the macula, the portion of the retina affected by macular degeneration, may be very subtle, so complete/comprehensive annual eye exams by an ophthalmologist are very important.

Asking to check your prescription may be very helpful, especially in fixing your distance vision. The lack of clarity in distance vision may be from a variety of reasons including dry eyes, cataract, or refractive error, in addition to your dry age-related macular degeneration. Your ophthalmologist can help you sort out what issues you might have and how you can address these problems, if possible. He or she will perform an eye exam to identify these causes in addition to the refraction performed to determine if a change in glasses prescription would be beneficial.

The eye injections such as Lucentis, Avastin, and Eylea are the currently best available treatments for wet age related macular degeneration (ARMD). These injections have been shown in multiple clinical trials to prevent vision loss in 90 percent of patients, and to improve vision in about 30 – 40 percent. Your mother in eye may not be in the 30 – 40 percent of patients that observe significant visual improvement with the eye injections. The eye injections do not cure wet ARMD, they only control it. Stopping injections thus could lead to the worsening of ARMD and possibly permanent loss of vision. Even though she cannot see the big E now, her vision could certainly deteriorate without treatment and become worse.

Driving requirements varies from state to state; however, typically if the patient has one eye that can see at a designated level and has a specific amount of visual field remaining, he or she is legal to drive. Please confirm with your retina specialist that the vision in the eye that is not undergoing injections is sufficient for legal driving in Virginia.

Eye misalignment, called strabismus, is common in children. A very small degree of eye misalignment may not cause issues, but a larger degree of eye misalignment may cause permanent loss of vision in the deviating eye; this is called ambylopia. Your child should be examined by a pediatric ophthalmologist to test for strabismus and ambylopia. Both can be treated very successfully if caught early.

The eye injections such as Lucentis, Avastin, and Eylea are the currently best available treatments to control wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). These injections have been shown in multiple clinical trials to prevent vision loss in 90 percent of patients, and to improve vision in about 30 – 40 percent. Your brother may not be in the 30 – 40 percent of patients that observe significant visual improvement with the eye injections. The eye injections do not cure wet ARMD, they only control it. Stopping injections thus could lead to the worsening of ARMD and possibly permanent loss of vision. Your brother should discuss the benefits and risks of stopping the injections with his retina specialist so that he can make an educated decision based on his specific situation.

Many people can completely lose central vision due to age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). In advanced ARMD, though the central vision can become extremely blurry, typically side vision remains. The majority of vision in ARMD is lost in the wet subtype, however now treatments exist which can prevent vision loss in 90 percent of patients with wet ARMD, and can improve vision in 30 – 40 percent.

You are exactly correct in thinking that many people with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) may not notice changes in vision for many years after the onset of the disease. The majority of vision is lost in patients with the wet form ARMD. Certain risk factors can identify patients at higher likelihood of development wet ARMD, so regular follow up visits with your retina specialist is very valuable in early detection of disease progression.