Treatment of retinal diseases in older Americans doubled in 10 years

Over the course of ten years, the number of older Americans being treated for retinal disease has doubled. Medicare data from 1997 to 2007 was studied and the results showed a 192% increase in the number of retinal procedures that were performed. A 20 Percent jump occurred between 2006 and 2007. Details of the study are published in the October 2010 issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology. The greatest increase was in treatments for "wet" age-related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD and diabetic retinopathy make up for more than half of the irreversible blindness in senior citizens. The occurrence of both of these conditions increases as people age. The number of Americans who will be affected by these conditions is expected to increase substantially over the next 30 years. What steps can you take to protect yourself? See an eye doctor regularly - at least once per year, more often if he/she recommends - to catch little problems before they become big problems. If you've got a family history of macular degeneration or have early signs of macular degeneration, take nutritional supplements to strengthen the health of the retina.?VisiVite.Com has several from which to choose. Consider genetic testing ?to gauge how aggressively your eye condition should be checked and treated. Finally, you need to realize that macular degeneration is no longer a sentence to become blind. Good, successful treatments exist. But they are impossible without seeing your eye doctor on a regular basis.* Andrea Schumann Staff Writer