Macular degeneration is not restricted to elderly people and about one in every 14 middle-aged Taiwanese are at high risk of developing the eye condition, which leads to a gradual loss of vision, according to the results of a free screening test released by the Loving Blind Association yesterday.
The screening test was jointly conducted by the association, the administration of Dajia Jenn Lann Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮) and Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis’ Taiwan branch during this year’s seven-day Dajia Matsu Pilgrimage in April.
It used the Amsler grid — a grid of evenly spaced horizontal and vertical lines — as a tool to screen 6,215 participants in the pilgrimage for macular degeneration, of whom 76 percent were aged 50 and over.
“The test results showed that about 12 percent of people aged 65 and older who underwent the screening test saw some of the straight lines as appearing crooked, distorted or broken, which is one of the early symptoms of macular degeneration,” association director-general Michelle Lin (林孟雪) said.
However, as many as 7 percent of the people tested between the ages of 50 and 64 also experienced early signs of the eye disorder, Lin said, adding that an estimated 350,000 Taiwanese in the 50-to-64 age group are living with the disease.
Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Department of Ophthalmology deputy director Lai Chi-chun (賴旗俊) said while macular degeneration is often associated with aging, it could also be caused by other factors, which include smoking, malnutrition and overexposure to sunlight.
“As the early symptoms of the eye disorder include blurred vision, it is often mistaken for presbyopia or a cataract, causing some patients to dismiss the symptoms and miss the ‘golden treatment period,’” Lai said.
About 90 percent of macular degeneration patients who did not seek treatment within two years after the onset of the disease saw their eyesight drop below 0.1, Lai said, urging people aged 50 and over to routinely conduct the Amsler grid test at home to avoid missed or delayed diagnosis.
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