Open AccessOphthalmology: ozone therapy applied to dystrophic maculopathy
Author(s) -
Giorgio Grechi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
ozone therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2499-5991
pISSN - 2499-5169
DOI - 10.4081/ozone.2017.6746
Subject(s) - drusen , macular degeneration , maculopathy , ophthalmology , medicine , age related maculopathy , visual acuity , neurodegeneration , retina , degeneration (medical) , retinopathy , biology , neuroscience , pathology , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology , disease
The macula, which is the noblest part of the retina, is a very small structure, containing the photoreceptors (rods and cones) responsible for visual acuity. Over the years, observations have confirmed that alterations that modify the optimal state of the eye also give rise to similar diseases in the brain: ischemias, structural circulatory alterations and neurodegeneration. As the body ages, oxidative alterations take place and they change the antioxidant systems that serves as a neurological and ocular defence. In industrialised nations, age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in patients over 55 years of age. Initially, this creates drusen (or colloid cysts) in the macular area.