Age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic disease leading to severe visual deterioration and impairment of daily life. Two types of AMD are distinguished: Wet or neovascular AMD and dry AMD. Dry AMD is characterized by drusen (small yellowish retinal deposits) and atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE); causal treatment is currently not available. Wet AMD is marked by abnormal growth of blood vessels within the macular area (spot of sharpest sight) leading to fluid accumulation (edema) and retinal bleeding as well as scar formation. If the disease is not treated severe irreversible visual impairment will result. Treatment with new agents that are administered intravitreally and act against vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are now available, impeding disease progression in many cases. The present book gives a comprehensive overview about all aspects of AMD, useful for affected patients and interested readers and covers causes, epidemiological facts, diagnostics (emphasizing the topic optical coherence tomography-OCT) and treatment strategies of the disease, based on extensive literature research.