Carmel Mountain Vision Care Discusses The Technology to Assess AMD Risk

Macular Degeneration

 

Q. What are the symptoms of macular degeneration?

 

A. Macular degeneration causes vision loss and distortion. If someone has macular degeneration, they might not be able to see well enough to drive, read, accomplish simple everyday tasks, or live independently. This is a disease that can greatly affect the quality of life of the patient. If not treated properly, macular degeneration can lead to blindness. In fact, macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 55 and older. Macular degeneration affects over 15 million people in the United States alone.

 

 

QuantifEYE Technology

 

 Q. Dr. Reeder, please explain how QuantifEYE technology fits into this story.

 

A. QuantifEYE is used to help diagnose macular degeneration. It is state of the art technology, and I am proud that our office, Carmel Mountain Vision Care, offers this service to our patients in San Diego. First let me explain a little bit about the portion of the eye that is affected by macular degeneration. The macula is in the center of the retina in the back of the eye and it is responsible for all of our detail vision. This includes color, reading, driving, and anything else detail related. The vision outside of the macula is peripheral vision. Within the macula there is pigment which is responsible for protecting our vision. You can think about it using the analogy of sunglasses; sunglasses protect our outer eye, while the pigment found in the macula is responsible for protecting our vision inside our eye. Without the proper amount of pigment, our vision gets distorted, and this condition is called macular degeneration.

 

 

Q. How does QuantifEYE operate?

 

A. The QuantifEYE technology has the ability to measure the macula pigment optical density (otherwise known as MPOD). In other words, it measures the amount of pigment found in the macula. With this instrument we can measure the amount of pigment, and see where the patient falls on the scale, whether the patient has enough, too little, or too much pigment. Lower numbers of pigment in the macula is associated with a higher risk for the patient developing macular degeneration. Depending on what we find, and the doctor’s diagnosis, we can prescribe supplements to increase the pigment and therefore improve the health of the eye. This greatly reduces the risk for the patient of macular degeneration.

 

The QuantifEYE Exam

 

Q. What could a patient expect when coming to your office for an exam using the QuantifEYE?

 

A. The examination is simple and noninvasive, and is done in our eye care office in San Diego. The patient looks at a blinking blue light, and presses a button upon first sight of this light. The QuantifEYE measures the pigment density by recording how quickly the patient sees the light, and how long the patient continues to see it. The exam takes a few minutes, and is simple, easy and painless.

 

Q. What is the procedure you follow after the QuantifEYE exam?

 

A. With this remarkable instrument, within a few moments we are able to assess the density of pigment in the macula, which is converted into a number. That number is the most important factor that helps us assess the patient’s potential risk for macular degeneration. We also look at the patient’s family history, and a lifestyle questionnaire that every patient completes. Other factors we look at are the patients gender, eye color, and various other significant factors.

 

Q. Is the QuantifEYE used for any other diagnosis?

 

A. This instrument is only used to diagnose macular degeneration. The QuantifEYE is the current industry standard and the most reliable diagnostic tool to help assess patients at risk for developing maculular degeneration. Only about 10% of eyecare practices have this advanced technology. There are only a small number of practices, ours included, that are proactively attempting to prevent macular degeneration.

 

Q. What is the profile for the patient that should be screened for macular degeneration?

 

A. I recommend all patients over 40 to come in for a screening. For patients who have a family history of macular degeneration, I recommend they come in earlier.

 

Treatment for Macular Degeneration

 

 Q. What is the treatment for macular degeneration?

 

A. There is no cure for macular degeneration, which is why it is so important to be proactive about preventing it. We have found that taking certain nutritional supplements increases the production of pigment in the eye, and that is what we recommend to our patients. There are various different nutritional supplements we prescribe, based on what each individual patient needs. Sometimes the treatment can be as simple as a multivitamin.

 

Amazing results for treatment with nutritional supplements for macular degeneration

 

Q. Have you personally seen that the supplements work?

 

A. Yes, it’s amazing. I had a patient not too long ago in my San Diego office who had some imaging of her retina, and we had seen something suspicious. We conducted the QuanifEYE test, and her pigment density was too low for her age. I put her on a nutritional supplement called Eyepromise, and she was supposed to take them twice a day. She did sometimes take them, but not regularly. After a while she noticed that the lines on the side of the road when she was driving appeared to be double, almost distorted. She got a little frightened, and started taking the supplements twice a day religiously. In six weeks she noticed a definite improvement in the distortion in her vision. The only explanation was the supplements! We tested her again and the pigment density in her macula improved. By taking the supplements she had significantly reduced her chances of vision deterioration. We were both very happy and surprised. She makes sure to take them every day now. So it really was amazing.

 

 

Q. What has the reaction been to the QuantifEYE among your San Diego patients?

 

A. My patients are very appreciative that I have the latest technology to help them protect their vision. Almost everyone has friends or family who have lost their vision from this disease. They don’t want to go down the same path, so anything we can do to reduce their risks is appreciated. My patients see how serious I am about helping them maintain their eyes and health and good vision for the rest of their life.

 

If you’re think you’re experiencing the symptoms of macular degeneration please schedule an eye exam with Carmel Mountain Vision Care, your eye doctors in San Diego.