Patient education is extremely important. When your child comes for an eye exam we try to explain everything about your child's diagnosis to you before you leave and we welcome call-backs. We also offer supplemental methods to improve your understanding of childhood vision problems. Dr. DeRespinis has put together a series of talks on common and not so common eye conditions, with audio-visual enhancements at the following website. Click here to enter the site www.theeyesiteforkids.com
Choose the topic of interest and just click on the icons and sit back and listen. Other sites highly recommended by Drs. DeRespinis & Pearlstein to obtain information on conditions affecting the eyes are hosted by THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR PEDIATRIC OPHTHALMOLOGY & STRABISMUS and THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF OPHTHALMOLOGY. Click on the Links below to enter the sites.
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus
There are two types of AMD.
- Non-exudative (also known as dry AMD) is the most common form of the disease and has a better long-term visual prognosis than wet AMD.
- Exudative (also known as wet AMD) is associated with the development of new blood vessels that grow beneath the retina leading to bleeding, scarring and severe reduction in central vision.
Signs of macular degeneration include loss of central vision (either gradually or suddenly), difficulty reading or performing tasks that require the ability to see detail and/or distorted or wavy vision. Presently there is no cure for AMD. Most individuals with reduced central vision benefit from low vision rehabilitative therapy. Laser coagulation may be effective for some patients with wet AMD although the recurrence of new vessel growth following laser treatment is over 50%. Many experimental treatments are currently being tested for their effectiveness in treating macular degeneration. Some research also indicates the role of antioxidant vitamins and nutritional supplements may be helpful for the prevention of AMD in some patients.