A for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is the most common cause of irreversible blindness in people of age 50 or older in the western populations. ARMD has two forms, the wet and the dry forms. The wet form is more serious and can lead to irreversible loss of vision. In the wet form of ARMD, new blood vessels grow under the retina. These blood vessels leak blood and fluid and cause the retina and the macula to swell. So the thickness of the macula increases. One of the key factors in the treatment of wet ARMD is early diagnosis and treatment to prevent complete visual loss. In this research, we are going to use a technique, called the Heidelberg retinal tomograph (HRT) to measure and compare the thickness of the macula in healthy controls and in patients suspected of having ARMD. HRT is a non-invasive imaging system that uses laser to measure the thickness of the macula. This allows us to come up with a quite simple and easy-to-use technique that helps us to diagnose wet ARMD early and treat it before visual acuity is completely lost.