SURELY WE MUST KNOW SOMETHING……I’m speaking, of course, of the “causes” of Macular Degeneration.  During our last discussion, we explored the nature of  the Macula – just what it was and what happened to the Macula when it became diseased.  That disease is referred to as “Macular Degeneration,” the number one cause of loss of vision in the United States in people over 60 years of age.

Logically, at this point in our discussions, we should explore some of the causes of Macular Degeneration.  The answer to that question is quite simple…..The exact cause of Macular Degeneration is not known!  What we DO know, however, is that there are a number of risk factors that, when present, increase ones chances of acquiring Macular Degeneration.. 

The most important of these ‘risk factors’ is a family history of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.  If there is ANY history of this disease in the family, everyone over the age of 40 to 45 owes it to themselves to have a thorough visual and retinal evaluation by a competent medical eye doctor to determine if there is any trace of this disease present.  This becomes even more important is you are over the age of 60 and there is also such a history in the family.

Recent studies over the past several years have repeatedly pointed out the association between Age-Related Macular Degeneration and any history of cardiovascular circulatory disease.  This becomes even more important if there are elevated levels of Homocysteine or Cardiac-Reactive Protein or Low-Density lipoproteins in the blood.  It is truly amazing how infrequently the first two of these tests are not preformed even in patients who at high risk for developing Macular Degeneration.

Another very important contributing cause of Macular Degeneration is smoking, especially if one inhales.  Smoking has a very potent Vaso-constrictive effect on the blood vessels and circulation.  If an individual inhales just ONE puff, the effect will be a narrowing of the blood vessels that will last ONE hour.  So, if one smokes just once each hour during their waking hours, in effect, they will have dramatically closed down their circulation for the ENTIRE WAKING DAY!  On top of this, one must remember that the heart is the “pump” that drives the blood around the body and brings oxygen to all the tissues.  The eye is HIGHER than the heart and thus the heart must pump this blood ‘uphill’ to reach the eye.   So anything that reduces the flow of blood uphill through one small artery to feed the entire eye will thus materially reduce the oxygenation of the Retina and markedly increase one’s risk of developing Macular Degeneration.

We’ll explore other contributing causes of the development of Macular Degeneration at our next discussion.  STAY TUNED!

John Colombo, M.D.