Spot? I hate it the most!
If there are spots on my body, I will immediately use a laser to remove them!
I believe this is the first feeling many people have about spots. It seems that anything associated with the word “spot” is unlikely to be liked, especially those “spots” that appear on the face, such as freckles, melasma, age spots, sunspots, and dark spots Seeing them, like rats crossing the street, everyone shouted to fight. Especially women who love beauty are willing to spend a lot of money to eliminate these spots ..
So here comes the question…! What kind of “spot” is so awesome that it’s worth a fortune to eliminate without spending money? Hehe, don’t believe it. This “spot” is very precious, and ophthalmologists have to supply it like their ancestors, afraid that something will happen to it!
Now the answer is revealed, this spot is the “yellow spot”!
Born in charge of visual management
First of all, it should be noted that the “macula” here is not the pockmarks on the face, nor is it a disease. It is a natural tissue structure in the human body, located in the center of the retina and the most densely populated area of the optic nerve photoreceptor cells. It is responsible for vision and can recognize most optical signals such as shape, size, color, depth, and distance.
In general, the visual acuity examination of the human eye is to check the visual ability of the macular area.
Worth a fortune, easily damaged
Helen Keller wrote a famous work called ‘If You Give Me Three Days of Light’, which I believe many people have heard of. It gives people the most intuitive feeling – light is priceless.
The macula is the optical center of the human eye. Once we lose a healthy macula and develop macular degeneration, the impact on vision will be irreversible, and in severe cases, it can lead to permanent blindness!
Macular disease has always been one of the blinding eye diseases that threaten human visual health. It is not a single disease, but a collective term for a group of diseases that cause pathological changes in the macular area of the retina.
Including macular edema, macular degeneration, macular membrane, macular hole, and so on.
These three types of people need to be most vigilant about macular degeneration
✔ elderly population
Age related macular degeneration is the most common macular disease, with a high incidence in people over 50 years old. As age increases, the macular area is prone to degenerative changes.
✔ High myopia population
People with high myopia are prone to macular thinning, atrophy, macular holes, detachment, and other lesions, causing vision loss, unclear vision, distorted vision, and even blindness in severe cases.
✔ diabetic population
China is a big country with diabetes, and diabetes patients remain high and growing. Patients with diabetes are also prone to retinopathy and macular edema, which requires great attention.
Timely examination, beware of lesions
Macular lesions can be initially self examined, and once problems are detected, one should go to an ophthalmic hospital for a professional fundus examination.
Preliminary self-examination: The Amsler form can be used to self-test whether the macula has developed any lesions
Test steps:
- Please place the table at a distance of 30 centimeters from the horizon, which is the distance we usually read books at. The surrounding light should be bright and even.
- Then cover your left eye with your hand or eye mask, and stare at the black dots in the grid with your right eye.
- Repeat the same steps to detect the left eye.
Self testing conclusion:
- If the table you see is still complete and intact as before, it means that the macula in the fundus is healthy and normal.
- If after testing, it is found that the center of the field of view is blurred, with black shadows, dark spots, or distorted or defective vision, it indicates that there is a disease in the macula of the fundus. It is necessary to go to a professional ophthalmic hospital for fundus examination as soon as possible and choose appropriate treatment methods under the advice of a doctor.
Professional fundus examination in ophthalmic hospitals can determine whether there is a lesion in the macula, mainly including:
★ Preliminary visual acuity examination: intraocular pressure and corneal thickness, visual acuity, pinhole visual acuity, computerized optometry, corneal curvature examination
★ Direct observation of macular morphology and OCT examination with fundus microscope
Further examinations such as retinal fluorescein angiography
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is currently one of the most advanced diagnostic devices for retinal and macular diseases, as well as glaucoma, internationally. It is also the only instrument that can simultaneously examine the retinal nerve fiber layer, macular region, and cup disk ratio. For professional ophthalmic hospitals, it is an essential medical instrument for examining and monitoring difficult eye diseases in the fundus.
Targeted treatment and early intervention
At present, there are several treatment methods for macular degeneration: laser photocoagulation, photodynamic therapy, and steroid vitreous injection.
In addition, studies have shown that some patients may also achieve better treatment results through a combination therapy of photodynamic therapy, intravitreal injection of steroids, and anti vascular endothelial growth factor drugs.
However, due to the different conditions of each person, the treatment methods and effects are also different. It is recommended to follow the doctor’s advice and communicate more with the doctor during treatment in order to make a more reasonable treatment plan.
Although macular degeneration is scary, as long as it is detected and treated in a timely manner, it can generally be well treated. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that the macula is an important part of human vision, and it is important to pay attention to eye protection in daily life. Don’t regret it when you lose this “spot”~