City Eyes Opticians are just one of only three practices in London offering a new test for assessing a key risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
AMD is a breakdown of the central retinal that leads to central vision loss, leaving sufferer’s unable to read, drive or see the faces of their loved ones. It is the leading cause of blindness in the western world with over 600,000 cases in the UK alone. Everyone will eventually get AMD but there are ways to help protect against its onset.
The innovative new test can quickly and easily determine whether you have low-levels of macular pigments. If low levels of macular pigments are detected then these can be corrected by making some simple lifestyle changes such as wearing a hat and sunglasses and making changes to your diet. Also, reducing or quitting smoking will help reduce the risk of developing AMD during your lifetime.
The test is simple and non-invasive. Patients are tested on their ability to see a faint rotating image, which gets harder to see with each step. The longer they see the image, the more macular pigments they have, meaning their risk is lower.
The new AMD test was invented and developed by Bristol University’s Dr. Shelby Temple.
Dr. Temple has said that…
“the loss of sight from AMD is a natural part of the ageing process, but we can take simple preventative actions to delay the damage to the retina such that disease does not develop during our living years.
We are all living longer, so my hope is that the MP-eye test will help more people to be informed about AMD and that it will empower people to make good healthy choices for their eyes. Hopefully, we will start to see a decrease in the prevalence of AMD both in the UK and world-wide?”
Would you like an AMD eye test?
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