May is Macula Month!
It’s May once again, and it’s Macula Month! During the whole month of May, we are ramping up our efforts on raising awareness about the different types of macular diseases and their causes. Our goal is to get ordinary Gold Coast people to learn about them, how you can lower your chances of developing macular disease, and what you can do to maintain good and healthy eyesight. Take a moment to read up on macular diseases and how to lower your chances of developing one.
Macular Disease
The macula is a part of the eye located in the retina. It’s a small part of the eye (it only has a total diameter of 5.5mm), but don’t underestimate its importance in the grand scheme of things. The macula plays a crucial role in seeing colours, things, and people in front of you clearly. With a healthy macula, you can read words clearly and recognise faces even at a distance.
But like other parts of the body, the macula can degenerate over time or be damaged.
What Causes Macular Diseases?
This is a common vision disorder among older adults (50 years old and older). As we age, many parts of our bodies naturally degenerate, and our eyes are not exempt. In fact, the degeneration of the retina’s macula is one of the top causes of eyesight loss in many older adults. However, while some degeneration is normal and macular disease is common, macular disease is not a normal ageing process. You are not guaranteed to get it, unlike how everyone needs reading glasses and how everyone gets cataracts.
Genes can play a large part in the degeneration and damage of the macula. If your family member lost his or her sight due to macular degeneration, then we recommend that you visit us regularly as you are at higher risk of developing this condition, too.
Your lifestyle is also a factor. People who smoke, are obese or diabetic, have a diet high in fat, and have hypertension are more likely to have macular degeneration. Women are also more likely to be affected than men.
Symptoms of Macular Degeneration or Damage
Check out the symptoms below.
- You’re finding it hard to read the text in front of you or you can’t recognise people positioned several metres away from you
- The appearance of random black patches when you look at something
- You have an increasing inability to distinguish different colours
- Lines now look wavy instead of straight
Normal vision
Vision with Macular Disease
Do You Have Any of These Symptoms? It's Time To Get Yourself Checked!
Make an appointment with us as soon as possible when you experience any of the different symptoms we mentioned above. The sooner you are assessed for macular disease, the better the chances of mitigating its effects.
Saving Your Eyesight This Macula Month
There are factors you can control to help prevent macular disease.
1️. Eat plenty of foods rich in Lutein & Zeaxanthin such as leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, silverbeet, broccoli, brussel sprouts), eggs, pistachios
2. don’t smoke
Don’t ignore the warning signs! This Macula Month, make it a habit to check your eyesight and make an appointment with your eye health professional as soon as you spot any changes to your vision.
We’re here to help. Visit visioneyehealthgoldcoast.com.au/ or give us a call if you need more information about macula health or if you need resources on how you can save your eyesight. You can also connect with us through our social media pages to get news and resources for Macula Month. See you there!