- anaesthetic awareness
- birth injury
- brain haemorrhage
- cancer misdiagnosis
- cauda equina syndrome
- cerebral palsy
- cosmetic surgery
- dental negligence
- gynaecology errors
- laparoscopy surgery
- medical negligence solicitors
- neonatal conditions
- obstetric cholestasis
- surgery negligence
- gastric band surgery
- prescription errors
Macular Degeneration
Thousands of clinical compensation claims are initiated every year in the United Kingdom by medical negligence solicitors on behalf of people from all walks of life. A multitude of operations and procedures are executed successfully however a small percentage do go wrong, laying the grounds for medical negligence solicitors to take legal action in order to claim compensation. Both legal aid and the no win no fee scheme are available to pursue medical negligence compensation claims.
Please contact us for help pursuing your claim.
Macular degeneration is a chronic condition of the eye that results in central loss of vision. There is both dry and wet macular degeneration, with the most common variety being dry macular degeneration. It is caused by degeneration of the macula of the retina, located in the center of the retina. In dry macular degeneration, there is the gradual loss of vision due to degeneration of the retina. In wet macular degeneration, the eye is swollen from leakage of blood vessels in the back of the eye.
In dry macular degeneration, there isn't total blindness but your vision is blurry and there may be a blind spot in the very central vision. It is difficult to read, to drive and to recognize another person's face. The vision changes you often notice include having to read by a very bright light, having increased blurriness of the written word, difficulty seeing people's faces, difficulty with intensity of color, hazy vision, a central blind spot and visual hallucinations including seeing geometric shapes instead of the heads of people. One or both eyes may be affected.
The exact causes of macular degeneration aren't known. It is believed to be a part of the aging process and is most common after the age of 60. If you have a family member who has macular degeneration, you are at higher risk of developing the disease yourself. White people have the disease at a higher rate than other races. Females get the disease more than men and those who are obese seem to come down with the disease at a higher rate. A lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet can contribute to the development of macular degeneration. High blood pressure and high cholesterol can play a role in getting macular degeneration.
Dry macular degeneration can progress to become wet macular degeneration. Vision loss then happens at a very fast rate. It isn't clear who gets wet macular degeneration and who just stay with the dry type of the disease.
Macular degeneration can be diagnosed by an ophthalmologist during an eye exam. The doctor can do a special test called an Amsler grid test to see if there are visual defects. The back of the eye looks mottled in cases of macular degeneration and yellow deposits form in the retinal area called drusen. An angiogram can be done which highlights the vessels in the back of the eye. The angiogram can show abnormalities of the back wall of the eye and can show changes specific for wet macular degeneration or leakage of blood into the back of the eye. Another test is called optical coherence tomography which shows areas of thickening or thinning of the retina. This is often seen in macular degeneration.
There are three major stages of ocular degeneration. In early stage macular degeneration, there are a few drusen in the macula and no obvious visual loss. In intermediate stage macular degeneration, there are many drusen, many of them medium sized in the back of the eye. There can also be a single large drusen in one or perhaps both eyes. The central vision can begin to become blurry, especially with detail work or with reading. In advanced stage macular degeneration, there are several big drusen and degeneration of the light sensitive cells in the macula of the back of the eye. Vision is blurry and there may be an area of complete blindness in the center of the vision.
You can't fix dry macular degeneration but, it is a good thing that it develops very slowly. Having mild macular degeneration doesn't mean you'll go on to getting severe disease. It sometimes takes decades to have significant progression of the disease. It is important to see your ophthalmologist regularly to have your retina and macular area examined. Some people believe that certain vitamins can slow the progression of the disease. These vitamins include vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin A (beta carotene), zinc oxide, and copper oxide. These are taken together and seem to have a positive effect on those suffering from macular degeneration.
- Advanced stage. Several large drusen, as well as extensive breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the macula, are detected. This causes a well-defined spot of blurring in your central vision. The blurred area may become larger and more opaque over time.
There's no treatment available to reverse dry macular degeneration. But this doesn't mean you'll eventually lose all of your sight. Dry macular degeneration usually progresses slowly, and many people with the condition are able to live relatively normal, productive lives, especially if only one eye is affected. Your doctor may recommend annual eye exams to see if your condition is progressing.
Surgery is available for those with macular degeneration. The surgery puts a telescopic lens inside the affected eye. It is a tiny tube that magnifies the field of vision so you can see better from far away and up close.