Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. As dry AMD gets worse, you may see a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, as less of the macula functions, central vision is gradually lost in the affected eye.

The most common symptom of dry AMD is slightly blurred vision. You may have difficulty recognizing faces. You may need more light for reading and other tasks. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes, but vision can be lost in one eye while the other eye seems unaffected.

One of the most common early signs of dry AMD is drusen.

What are drusen?

Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They often are found in people over age 60. Your eye care professional can detect drusen during a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

Drusen alone do not usually cause vision loss. In fact, scientists are unclear about the connection between drusen and AMD. They do know that an increase in the size or number of drusen raises a person's risk of developing either advanced dry AMD or wet AMD. These changes can cause serious vision loss.

Dry AMD has three stages, all of which may occur in one or both eyes:

1. Early AMD. People with early AMD have either several small drusen or a few medium-sized drusen. At this stage, there are no symptoms and no vision loss.
2. Intermediate AMD. People with intermediate AMD have either many medium-sized drusen or one or more large drusen. Some people see a blurred spot in the center of their vision. More light may be needed for reading and other tasks.
3. Advanced Dry AMD. In addition to drusen, people with advanced dry AMD have a breakdown of light-sensitive cells and supporting tissue in the central retinal area. This breakdown can cause a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, the blurred spot may get bigger and darker, taking more of your central vision. You may have difficulty reading or recognizing faces until they are very close to you.

If you have vision loss from dry AMD in one eye only, you may not notice any changes in your overall vision. With the other eye seeing clearly, you still can drive, read, and see fine details. You may notice changes in your vision only if AMD affects both eyes. If blurriness occurs in your vision, see an eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

Ninety percent of all people with AMD have this type. Scientists are still not sure what causes dry AMD.

Resolution/Product The very inexpensive, MDD-1TM Macular Defective Detection Device‟ developed and produced by Health Research Sciences, Inc. (HRS) enables Optometrist, Ophthalmologist, Endocrinologist, Primary Care Doctors, and even patients themselves in the home environment to easily and efficiently test for the early detection of Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration and Diabetic Maculopathy as well as other types of central retinal diseases in the human eye. The MDD-1 also permits monitoring of central retinal health over time, and can warn of deterioration in function at an early stage.

The MDD-1 is a Patented, unique design that solves the problem of inconsistent testing and screening as currently performed by providing reproducible measurements of macular function (light flash recovery, dark adaptation) that are recorded and made available in a concise reporting format for health professional interpretation. The instrument also warns end users that a doctor‟s visit is warranted.

It is envisioned that the MDD-1 would be sold directly to these Physicians in enough quantity per office to facilitate the screening of patients that fit the target patient demographic in their normal busy weekly schedules.

HRS will develop the educational and marketing material required to supply the physicians with what is needed to inform and educate their patient populations about the presence of the MDD-1 in their office and the need and ability to have screening and monitoring performed on patients that are in the risk demographic. The educational material developed for this purpose by HRS will contain the statistical information about the screened and monitored diseases and the need to be screened.

It is estimated that the total reduction in cost of care is significant as many large Eye Health Organizations in the US have already evaluated the MDD-1 and concluded and reported to HRS that “early detection and standardization of the test parameters and baselines is what is needed to catch these diseases at an early stage which would allow the initiation or augmentation of inexpensive initial therapies (including the use of Nutriceuticles), or more involved treatments (laser, anti-VEGF injections) as may be indicated for more advanced disease.

Conclusion The MDD-1 Macular Defective Detection Device is the only testing and screening device of its type in the world and the same “large Eye Health Organizations in the US” that have initially reviewed the MDD-1 have stated that they believe that “every Doctor they know needs to have one to raise the standard of care for screening for these diseases and monitoring the success of applied therapies and corrective surgery”.