Location & Hours

2349 S Wentworth Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
Phone: (312) 808-1893

Mon - Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sunday: Closed

Dr. Crystal Wong

Dr. Wong was born & raised in the neighborhood of Bridgeport in Chicago. She attended Lane Tech High School where she discovered an interest in...

macular degeneration
 
Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a disease which affects a small area of the retina known as the macula. The macula is a specialized spot on the retina that allows us to see the fine detail of whatever is directly in front of us. Macular degeneration occurs when the macula begins to deteriorate.

“Wet” vs. “Dry”

Most often, macular degeneration is accompanied by formation of yellow deposits, called “drusen,” under the macula, which dry out or thin the macula. This is called “dry” macular degeneration. In rare cases, abnormal blood vessels develop under the macula and leak fluid. This is called “wet” macular degeneration.

Causes

A number of uncontrollable factors contribute to macular degeneration, including age, sex, eye color, farsightedness, and race. Risk factors you can control include smoking, high blood pressure, exposure to harmful sunlight, and diet.

Symptoms

It is difficult to detect dry macular degeneration in its early stages. The most common symptoms, when detected, include a spot of blurry vision, dark vision, or distorted vision. Wet macular degeneration progresses much faster than the dry variety. Both forms of macular degeneration can cause blindness.

Treatment

Currently, there is no cure for macular degeneration, but treatment is available to slow the effects.

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The Centers for Disease Control estimates that around 2.8 million people in the United States suffer from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year, and vision can be affected.  Concussions are a type of TBI.The rate of childhood TBI visits to the emergency department more than doubled between 2001 and 2009, making children more likely than any other group to go to the ER with concussion symptoms.It was once assumed that the hallmark of a concussion was a loss of consciousness. More recent evidence, however, does not support that. In fact, the majority of people diagnosed with a concussio...

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