MEDICAL TRAVEL COST
Macular Degeneration (ARMD)
USD 800 onwards
Macular degeneration is an eye disorder that affects your retina. It is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60.
Ayurvedic treatment for macular degeneration will give you great results, especially if you go for treatment at an early stage.
The macula is a small part of the center of your retina in the back of your eye. It detects light and sends the signal to the brain. The brain interprets these signals as images that we see.
In some conditions, it starts to degenerate over time. When your macula starts to thin, it will cause blurred and reduced vision.
Even though it may start in one eye, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) will always affect both eyes.
Types of macular degeneration
There are two main types of macular degeneration. These are
Dry AMD - People who have the dry form of macular degeneration will have drusen, which is yellow deposits in their macula. As it gets bigger, they may distort and dim your vision.
Wet AMD - You have blood vessels that grow underneath your macula. These will leak blood and fluid into your retina, making your vision distorted. It will soon lead to a loss of permanent central vision.
Risk factors of macular degeneration
Certain factors could increase your risk. These are
Family history - You are at a higher risk if any of your family members have it.
Age - It is more common in people over the age of 60.
Obesity - If you are obese, it may increase your chance
Smoking - Both smoking or being exposed to smoke are bad
Heart diseases - These can put you more at risk
Symptoms of macular degeneration
In most cases, the symptoms develop gradually. You may not feel any pain either. Some of the common signs are
Dark and blurry areas in the center of your vision
A difference in sensing color
Worse or less clear vision
Difficulty in recognizing faces
The need for brighter light when reading
Stages of macular degeneration
There are three main stages in AMD
Early AMD - In this stage, you will not experience any serious symptoms such as vision loss. The presence of medium-sized drusen in the retina is the main indicator.
Intermediate AMD - At this stage, there will be some vision loss. An eye exam will look for large drusen in the retina.
Late AMD - At this stage, vision loss has become noticeable.
Diagnosis of AMD
Your doctor will diagnose your condition after checking your medical and family history. They will also run a few of these tests:
Examination of the back of your eye - This will involve putting drops in your eyes to dilate them. The doctor will examine the back of your eye and look for drusen. People with macular degeneration will have a lot of drusen present in their retina.
Optical coherence tomography - This is an imaging test that will display detailed images of your retina. It will show the areas where the retina has thinned, thickened, and swelled.
Fluorescein angiography- In this test, your doctor will inject a colored dye through your vein. A camera will then take pictures as the dye passes through the blood vessels. It will highlight any changes in the blood vessels in the back of your eye.
Test for defects in the center of your vision
Ayurvedic treatment for macular degeneration
Ayurveda is one of the oldest medical systems in the world. It has a long history of more than 5000 years. Ayurveda is a holistic system that aims at treating your body and mind together.
Ayurveda states that all of us have Vata, Pitta, and Kapha as the three main energy forces or doshas within us. In a normal condition, these doshas will be in balance, and you will be healthy. However, if any of these gets aggravated or goes out of balance, it leads to health issues.
Shalakya tantra is a branch of Ayurveda which deals with eye disorders and other diseases manifesting above the neck. The old texts have details about the signs, cause. It also the right treatment for almost all medical conditions.
Some of the Ayurvedic treatment methods for eye disorders are
Tarpana - which is, pouring of medicated ghee into a herbal container kept over your eyes.
Shirodhara - which involves the pouring of warm, medicated oil over your head.
Lepanam- application of herbal paste in your eyelids
Netradhara - which is about pouring of herbal liquids over closed eye
Nasyam - medicines through your nostrils to clear the blocks and toxins in your nasal cavity.
Virechanam- induced purging to clear the toxins from your body
Ayurveda views dry AMD as a Vata disorder and wet AMD as a Vata and Pitta disorder. So the treatment will be different for these two types.
Ayurvedic treatment for macular degeneration aims to
Remove the Ama or toxins from your body.
Nourishment for the tissues in your eye to prevent further degeneration of the retina
Treatment procedures for dry-type AMD include
Nasyam
Virechanam
Shirodhara
Lepanam
Tharpana
Wet AMD treatment includes
Nasyam
Virechanam
Takradhara
Netradhara
You will need to be in the hospital for about 21 days for the treatment. The food will be as per your doctor's advice.
It is always better to come with a companion who can be a bystander/attendant during this period. In case you need assistance with your daily activities, a bystander is mandatory.
After the treatment, your doctor will advise about changes in your diet and lifestyle.
Diet changes
Eat more fruits and colored vegetables like carrot, pumpkin, orange, mango, and papaya
Include fish, eggs, cheese, milk in your diet
Make sure that leafy vegetables such as kale, spinach are in your diet
Lifestyle changes
Keep washing your eyes and splashing water regularly.
Do not stare at a TV or computer screen continuously for long periods
Proper posture while reading, watching TV or using a computer
Do not strain your eyes by reading small print or in dim light
Stop smoking if you are a smoker
Have proper sleep of around 7-8 hours every day
Maintain a healthy weight
Other treatment options for macular degeneration
Currently, there is no other treatment for macular degeneration. You can take steps and precautions to slow the progression.
Your doctor can help you to deal with vision loss and in adapting to the new condition.
If you are in an advanced stage of macular degeneration, you may need surgery. Your doctor will implant a telescope lens in one eye that will magnify your field of vision. It will improve your short and long-distance vision
