WITH ageing comes many issues that we may be unprepared to face, but loss of sight can be devastating.
Malaysia is expected to become an ageing nation by 2035, with 15 per cent of its population aged 65 and above.
While ideally, the elderly should remain active well into their golden years, it's estimated that 46,000 Malaysians above the age of 45 are at risk of irreversible blindness due to wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD).
While vision changes will naturally occur as a person ages, actual vision loss is not a normal part of ageing.
Wet AMD, a progressive and chronic type of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), occurs when abnormal blood vessels beneath the retina start to grow under the macular.
Symptoms usually appear suddenly, causing distortions and blurred vision, and worsen rapidly, leading to irreversible damage within a short period of time.
While wet AMD only accounts for about 10 per cent of all AMD cases, it is responsible for 90 per cent of severe vision loss associated with the disease.
"Many ageing Malaysians look forward to doing the things they love as they reach retirement age, yet impaired vision caused by wet AMD hinders them from doing so and affects their quality of life. It is a leading cause of preventable blindness among the ageing population, however, awareness still remains dangerously low," says Malaysian Society of Ophthalmology president Dr Kenneth Fong Choong Sian.
Dr Fong adds that the prevalence of wet AMD is expected to rise along with the rise of Malaysia's ageing population, which warrants an urgent need for us to shed light on the disease.
THE DANGER WITHIN
But many Malaysians are still unaware of wet AMD and its symptoms, which has caused a delay in seeking treatment and this can result in loss of sight quickly.
There is no cure for wet AMD, but there are treatments that can delay the progression of the disease and even improve vision.
The most effective clinical treatment is a periodic injection of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) into the eye using a dosing regimen called the Treat and Extend regimen.
The Treat and Extend regimen has become a primary approach in treating patients with wet AMD.
The Anti-VEGF injection into the eye stops the growth of new blood vessels by blocking the effects of growth signals (VEGF) the body sends to generate new blood vessels.
Once a patient is diagnosed with the disease, the patient will be prescribed a course of treatment to stop the symptoms from progressing, recover lost vision, and maintain vision.
Early detection is vital for early treatment to slow the progression of wet AMD. This is the kind of disease that requires on-going treatment to prevent symptoms from worsening.
However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, experts have reported that more people are at risk of irreversible damage to their sight due to missed care.
The Treat and Extent dosing regimen not only allows patients to be treated based on their treatment schedule, but also keeps patients safe in the new normal by minimising contact and the risk of Covid-19 due to fewer appointments for their eyecare says Sunway Medical Centre's consultant ophthalmologist, Dr Tara Mary George.
Patients are prescribed an intensive phase, where the anti-VEGF injection is administered regularly up to seven or eight injections through the first year of treatment and subsequently treatment is spaced out and lengthened based on the level of recovery.
It poses benefits for patients and healthcare professionals alike in light of the new normal efforts to curb Covid-19 because it offers flexibility that sees fewer medical appointments in the long-term due to improved vision and longer treatment intervals, as well as lifts the overall burden associated with treatment experience.
Healthcare professionals are also able to provide the level of care that suits a patient's individual needs based on the severity of his wet AMD or develop a tailored treatment schedule that can be adjusted for the patient based on his condition and recovery rate.
It is important for the patient to maintain the treatment schedule following recovery to avoid recurrence of wet AMD.
Shop health boosters for the elderly at cheaper costs with iHerb Promo Code.