Eye doctor in Clermont
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss and blindness in older adults in the developed world. Macular degeneration is a costly disease for both the family and the healthcare system. Effective therapies are most cost effective if they are personalized for the patient and provided at the earliest detection of the developing disease. The best way to care for yourself and your eyes if you have AMD is to visit our
eye doctor in Clermont at Clermont Family EyeCare for Macular Degeneration genetic testing.
Over 90% of individuals who live through their 70s and into their 80s will have changes in their retina due to AMD, which is a disease of the macula that present itself as small deposits on the retina and/or pigmentation changes in the retina. Approximately 20% of those who develop the early and intermediate forms will progress to advanced disease with vision loss as they age. Vision can be saved if AMD is detected at an early stage by our
eye doctor in Clermont. However, most people don’t know they are at an increased risk and don’t go to an eye care professional until the symptoms worsen and disease is advanced in one eye. It is then too late to save the first eye other than perhaps preventing further progression. Thankfully, there is a combined prognostic and pharmacogenetic DNA test for patients who have a diagnosis of early or intermediate AMD. For this test, we will take a simple cheek swab from you at our office. This DNA sample will allow us to determine a number of factors about your AMD. For example, we will be able to verify the patient's risk of progressing to advanced AMD within 2, 5, and 10 years. The test will also be able to tell us the appropriate eye vitamin therapy for maximum vision preservation based on the patient’s specific genetic profile. Macular Degeneration genetic testing ensures the correct therapies and treatment plans can be put into place to ensure the patient’s vision, as well as their overall health, is preserved.
If you’ve been diagnosed with early or intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration, then you need to visit our
eye doctor in Clermont so that we can accurately determine the risk of your AMD progressing into advanced stages. We can therefore take the necessary treatment plan to preserve your vision. If you would like to learn more about AMD, we highly recommend that you visit our practice’s main website to browse through some additional, detailed information that you might find useful. If you have any specific questions or concerns regarding genetic testing or any of our other services, please do not hesitate to contact the staff here directly.
Clermont Family Eyecare
231 Citrus Tower Blvd
Clermont, FL 34711
(352) 293-2183
By Clermont Family Eyecare
June 17, 2016
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