Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a disease associated with aging that affects the macula, which is located in the centre of retina. The retina is responsible for converting light or any image into electrical impulses and then sends as signal to the brain. It is how we are able to see the objects clearly and have a central vision for daily activities such as reading and driving. AMD gradually destroys this sharp, central vision; however the process is painless and so gradual that we notice little change in the vision.

However there are certain cases reported in which AMD progresses faster and may lead to a loss of vision in both eyes. It is a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 years of age and older.

The eye surgeons in America are trying to explore the role played by nutrition, genetic factors and immune response in addition to AMD in affecting the center vision which we need to we need to read, drive, recognize faces and enjoy daily life. They are trying to come up with new clues and preventive measures to control the occurrence of AMD. The need to promote awareness is also stressed upon. The best solution to preserve the vision still lies in the early detection of the problem. People need to be aware of the risks to save their sight.

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Aging is known as changes, process of growth and development of living organisms. Aging refers to multidimensional process of physical, psychological and social change. Dimensions of aging grow and expand over time. Physical reactions may slow down with age, while knowledge of world events and wisdom may expand. The aging has been divided as young old (65-74), the middle old (75-84) and the oldest one (aged and above 85).

Population and Aging

The number and the proportion of older people in the society are getting increased each day. The causes are migration, longer life expectancy and decreased birth rate. Comparing to young people they have different requirements from society and government. They have more political influences too.

Lifespan of a Human

Human lives have divided into various ages due to biological changes. It varies from person to person. In USA, old age is considered to begin at the age of legal retirement, approximately 65 years. Human age is also divided by decades.

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Oxygen is essential to human life, we cannot survive without it. However it also develops certain toxic in our body and poses a threat to the human body. Human body has certain defense mechanisms so that is why we are able to fight against these toxic effects of the oxygen. However the dangers are still not eliminated completely as our natural defenses are not perfectly equipped to fight against the damaging effects of oxygen.

The toxic reaction, called the oxidative stress causes many diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease and cancer, and has been suggested as a major contribute to the aging.

In a recent study done by the professors at the ‘University of Michigan’, they tried to find out the reason behind the survival of certain cells and organisms against the oxidative stress. For this, they adopted an innovative method to observe how the proteins which are the major building blocks of body get affected by the oxidative stress.

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