Macular Degeneration (ARMD) Awareness Month in Greater Boston At D’Ambrosio Eye Care

D'Ambrosio Eye Care

Lancaster, Massachusetts (2/1/2011) D’Ambrosio Eye Care wishes to announce that Prevent Blindness America has designated February as National Age Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month.


“Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in Americans older than 50, affecting more than two million people. Although ARMD is incurable, there are new treatments that can, at a minimum, prevent further vision loss from the disease and in many cases actually help recover lost vision,” commented Francis A. D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., a Boston area eye physician and surgeon and Medical Director of D’Ambrosio Eye Care.

ARMD causes central vision to blur, but leaves peripheral vision intact. It is progressive and painless. There are two types of ARMD: dry and wet. Approximately 90 percent of people with ARMD have the dry form which results in gradual vision loss. Although only 10 percent of people with ARMD have the wet form, it generally progresses much quicker than the dry form. Wet AMD is characterized by the growth of abnormal retinal blood vessels that leak blood or fluid, causing rapid and severe central vision loss.

Patients can often reduce the risk of developing ARMD by not smoking as well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables, avoiding foods with trans fats, exercising and controlling blood pressure and weight.

“We are fortunate to be able to offer Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) drugs that inhibit the development of unwanted blood vessels that cause wet ARMD as these agents are effective in helping to prevent further visual loss and even improve vision,” said Dr. D’Ambrosio Jr.

Patients older than 50 are encouraged to have a comprehensive, dilated eye examination every one to two years to ensure that ARMD is detected and treated early. The key to successful treatment is early detection and intervention.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading Massachusetts eye care practice with offices in Lancaster, Acton and Gardner, staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, management of eye inflammation, ocular inflammatory disease and uveitis and diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration, diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services.

Francis A. D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. is a founding member of the LASIK Eye Surgery Patient Information and LASIK Surgeon Directory at www.seewithlasik.com and the Cataract Surgery, Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL) and Cataract Surgeon Directory at www.aboutcataractsurgery.com.

For additional information, contact Jude Seppa, D'Ambrosio Eye Care, 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, Judith.Seppa@dambrosioeyecare.com, 1.800.325.3937x345.

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.