Your eyes are an important part of your health and day-to-day life! There are many things you can do to keep them healthy and make sure you are seeing your best

You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure. When it comes to common vision problems, some people don’t realise they could see better with glasses or contact lenses. In addition, many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration often have no warning signs.

Macular Degeneration

With age-related macular degeneration AMD you lose your central vision. You cannot see fine details, whether you are looking at something close or far. But your peripheral (side) vision will still be normal. OCT has revolutionised early detection of  (AMD). We were one of the first practices in Grampian to install OCT in 2010.  It has proved invaluable in the detection and prompt referral of macular degeneration and other eye conditions!

There are a number of layers that make up your retina but the most important layer relating to vision is made up of cells called photoreceptors. The macula is a tiny area of the retina about the size of a pinhead. It contains millions of specialised photoreceptor cells called cone cells. If someone develops AMD, it is the cone cells that become damaged and stop working. This results in a reduction of the central vision, colour vision and detailed vision. As the name suggests, AMD occurs with age. Around 1 in 2000 people aged 60 years old will have AMD and this increases to 1 in 5 people aged 90 or older.