Vision can change temporarily or permanently due to eye problems that can provide information in a patient’s health status as well as problems with self-care. Changes in the structural components of the eye caused by aging begin early especially with the lens of the eye. Visual functions are reduced due to age-related changes of the nervous system and in the eye support structures. Three layers form the wall of the eye: sclera, choroid, and retina. The sclera, a thick, white, outermost layer that includes the cornea is at the central anterior region allowing light to enter the eye. The choroid prevents light from scattering inside the eye that also includes the iris and its round opening, the pupil, that light passes through. The retina
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Macular degeneration refers to the loss of central vision due to the deterioration of the macula and is the major cause of vision loss in patients older than sixty years. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) consists of two forms: dry AMD and wet AMD. Dry AMD, the most common type, allows retinal cells in the macula to become necrotic due to the slow blocking of retinal capillaries leading to central vision decline, mild blurring, and distortion. Dry AMD is more common and progresses faster among smokers with risk factors including hypertension, female gender, short stature, family history, and poor diet. The growth of new blood in the macula leads to blood and fluid leakage causing wet AMD. Exudative macular degeneration, a form of wet AMD, can occur at any age and in one or both eyes. (Ignatavicius, …show more content…
In the initial phase of the detachment, the patient describes a sensation of a curtain being pulled down over the visual field. Perceived as gray bulges or folds in the retina, the retina detachment is caused from the photoreceptors separating from the epithelium due to fluid such as hemorrhage or liquid vitreous that deprives the outer retina of oxygen and nutrients. The most common form of retinal detachment is rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that involves vitreoretinal traction causing the retinal breaks. (McCance 510). Intracapsular cataract extraction, severe myopia, lattice degeneration, vitreoretinal traction and trauma cause the rhegmatogenous retinal detachment due to the contraction of fibrous membranes effecting the tractional separation of the retinal layers that can be treated by surgical retinal reattachment. Treatment. If a retinal hole is discovered early, it can be closed to prevent fluid from collecting under the retina and reduces the risk for detachment. Other treatments include creating a scar to bind the retina and choroid together by laser photocoagulation or with a freezing probe. The surgical repair needed to place the retina with the underlying structures is called scleral buckling; however, a spontaneous reattachment of a completely detached retina is rare. (Ignatavicius,
Macular degeneration refers to the loss of central vision due to the deterioration of the macula and is the major cause of vision loss in patients older than sixty years. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) consists of two forms: dry AMD and wet AMD. Dry AMD, the most common type, allows retinal cells in the macula to become necrotic due to the slow blocking of retinal capillaries leading to central vision decline, mild blurring, and distortion. Dry AMD is more common and progresses faster among smokers with risk factors including hypertension, female gender, short stature, family history, and poor diet. The growth of new blood in the macula leads to blood and fluid leakage causing wet AMD. Exudative macular degeneration, a form of wet AMD, can occur at any age and in one or both eyes. (Ignatavicius, …show more content…
In the initial phase of the detachment, the patient describes a sensation of a curtain being pulled down over the visual field. Perceived as gray bulges or folds in the retina, the retina detachment is caused from the photoreceptors separating from the epithelium due to fluid such as hemorrhage or liquid vitreous that deprives the outer retina of oxygen and nutrients. The most common form of retinal detachment is rhegmatogenous retinal detachment that involves vitreoretinal traction causing the retinal breaks. (McCance 510). Intracapsular cataract extraction, severe myopia, lattice degeneration, vitreoretinal traction and trauma cause the rhegmatogenous retinal detachment due to the contraction of fibrous membranes effecting the tractional separation of the retinal layers that can be treated by surgical retinal reattachment. Treatment. If a retinal hole is discovered early, it can be closed to prevent fluid from collecting under the retina and reduces the risk for detachment. Other treatments include creating a scar to bind the retina and choroid together by laser photocoagulation or with a freezing probe. The surgical repair needed to place the retina with the underlying structures is called scleral buckling; however, a spontaneous reattachment of a completely detached retina is rare. (Ignatavicius,