Health Advice
- Weight Management
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- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
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- First aid
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- Acupuncture
- Gallbladder, inflammation
- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
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- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
- Air embolism
- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
- Macular degeneration
- Memory loss
- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
- Anal fissure
- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
- Angioedema
- Arteriography
- Stent insertion
- Dog bites
- Fractured ankle
- Ankylosing spondylitis
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- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
- Penicillin
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- Antidepressants
- Antifungal medicines
- Antihistamines
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- Antisocial personality disorder
- Hypochondria
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- Stress
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- Wrist, broken
- Arterial thrombosis
- Arthritis
- Asbestosis
- Asthma
- Astigmatism
- Eczema
- Atrial fibrillation
- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
- Blisters
- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
- Hip fracture
- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
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- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
- Nasal congestion
- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
- Chest infection, adult
- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
- Cluster headaches
- White coated tongue
- Gluten intolerance
- Herpes simplex virus
- Cold
- Colic
- Colostomy
- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
- Heart failure
- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Contact dermatitis
- Corns and calluses
- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
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- Cosmetic surgery
- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
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- Undescended testicles
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- Cystic fibrosis
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- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
- Hearing impairment
- Dehydration
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- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes
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- Dialysis
- Traveller's diarrhoea
- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
- Thirst
- Dyslexia
- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
- Earache
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- Eating disorders
- Ebola virus disease
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- Endoscopy
- Threadworms
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- Epidural
- Epilepsy
- Watering eyes
- Nosebleed
- Impotence
- Tremor (essential)
- Ocular cancer
- Eye injuries
- Red eye
- Falls
- Family planning
- Fever, childhood
- Fibromyalgia
- Flat feet
- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
- Stomach removal surgery
- Gastroenteritis
- Gastritis
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- General anaesthetic
- Genetics
- Herpes, genital
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- Gestational diabetes
- Gum disease
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- Recurrent limb pain in children
- Iron overload disorder
- Haemophilia
- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Ingrown hairs
- Leukaemia, hairy cell
- Hallucinations
- Hamstring injury
- Hand pain
- Tendon repair, hand
- Hand, foot and mouth disease
- Hangover
- Seasonal allergic rhinitis
- Head and neck cancer
- Head injury, minor
- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
- Heart-lung transplant
- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Sweat rash
- Periods, heavy
- Hepatitis A
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- Hepatitis
- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
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- Herpes simplex eye infections
- Hip pain in adults
- Hip replacement
- HIV and AIDS
- Welts
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- Homeopathy
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Huntington's disease
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- Hyperglycaemia
- Sweating, excessive (hyperhidrosis)
- Joint hypermobility
- Sleepiness in the day (severe and unexplained)
- Thyroid, overactive
- Hypnotherapy
- Testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism)
- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
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- Inquest
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- Type 1 diabetes
- Intensive care
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- knee-pain
- Knee replacement
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- Lung transplant
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- MRI scan
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- Rubeola
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- Moles
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- Multiple system atrophy
- Mumps
- Muscular dystrophy
- Selective mutism
- Short-sightedness
- Nose and sinus cancer
- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Periods, irregular
- Organ donation
- Orthopaedics (orthopaedic surgery)
- Osteoarthritis
- Rickets
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- Pacemaker implantation
- Shoulder pain
- Paracetamol
- Ulcerative colitis
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
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- Pelvic pain
- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Periods
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- Whooping cough
- Strep throat
- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
- Pleurisy
- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
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- Slipped disc
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- Prostate disease
- Prostatitis
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- Radiation
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- Red blood cell count
- Rheumatic fever
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- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Salivary stones
- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Scars
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- Scoliosis
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- Self-harm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
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- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stroke
- Stye
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- Swollen glands
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
- Testicular cancer
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
- Tinnitus
- Tongue-tie
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
- Tourette's syndrome
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection, children
- Urinary tract infection
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- Varicose eczema
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- Warts and verrucas
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- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Read moreNHS Choices - Introduction
(24/02/2015)
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a painless eye condition that generally leads to the gradual loss of central vision but can sometimes cause a rapid reduction in vision.
Central vision is used to see what is directly in front of you. In AMD, your central vision becomes increasingly blurred, leading to symptoms such as:
- difficulty reading because the text appears blurry
- colours appearing less vibrant
- difficulty recognising people's faces
AMD usually affects both eyes, but the speed at which it progresses can vary from eye to eye.
AMD does not affect the peripheral vision (outer vision), which means it will not cause complete blindness.
Read more about the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration and the complications of age-related macular degeneration.
When to seek medical advice
If you notice that your vision is getting gradually worse, you should see your GP or optometrist.
If your vision suddenly gets worse, images are distorted or you notice blind spots in your field of vision, seek medical advice immediately. Either book an emergency appointment with an optometrist or visit your local accident and emergency (A&E) department.
If it is thought you may have AMD, you will be referred to a specialist called an ophthalmologist for tests and any necessary treatment.
Read more about diagnosing age-related macular degeneration.
Why it happens
Macular degeneration develops when the macula (the part of the eye responsible for central vision) is unable to function as effectively as it used to. There are two main types of AMD, called 'dry AMD' and 'wet AMD'.
Dry AMD
Dry AMD develops when the cells of the macula become damaged as a result of a build-up of waste products called drusen. It is the most common and least serious type of AMD, accounting for around nine out of 10 cases.
The loss of vision is gradual, occurring over many years. However, an estimated one in 10 people with dry AMD will then go on to develop wet AMD.
Wet AMD
Wet AMD develops when abnormal blood vessels form underneath the macula and damage its cells (doctors sometimes refer to wet AMD as neovascular AMD).
Wet AMD is more serious and without treatment, vision can deteriorate within days.
Read more about the causes of age-related macular degeneration.
Who is affected
AMD is the leading cause of visual impairment in the UK, affecting up to 500,000 people to some degree.
For reasons that are unclear, AMD tends to be more common in women than men. It is also more common in white people and people of Chinese ethnicity than people from other ethnic groups.
As would be expected by its name, age is one of the most important risk factors for AMD. The condition is most common in people over 50 and it's estimated that one in every 10 people over 65 have some degree of AMD.
How AMD is treated
There is currently no cure for either type of AMD.
With dry AMD, treatment is mostly based on helping a person make the most of their remaining vision, such as using magnifying lenses to help make reading easier.
There is also some evidence to suggest that a diet rich in green leafy vegetables may slow the progression of dry AMD.
Wet AMD can be treated with a type of medication called anti-VEGF medication, which aims to stop your vision getting worse by helping prevent further blood vessels developing. In some cases laser surgery can also be used to destroy abnormal blood vessels.
Early diagnosis and treatment of wet AMD is essential in reducing the risk of severe loss of vision.
Read more about treating age-related macular degeneration.
Reducing your risk
It is not always possible to prevent macular degeneration as it is not clear exactly what triggers the processes that cause the condition.
Your risk of developing the condition is also closely linked to things such as your age and whether you have a family history of the condition.
However, you may be able to reduce your risk of developing AMD, or help prevent it getting worse, by:
- stopping smoking if you smoke
- eating a healthy diet high with plenty of fruit and vegetables
- moderating your consumption of alcohol (read more about recommended limits)
- trying to achieve or maintain a healthy weight
- wearing UV-absorbing glasses when outside for long periods
- Macula
- The macula is a small spot at the centre of the retina. It is the part of your eye where incoming rays of light are focused.
- Retina
- The retina is the nerve tissue lining the back of the eye. It senses light and colour and sends it to the brain as electrical impulses.
- Visual impairment
- The term visual impairment refers to anyone who is blind or partially sighted, rather than those who are short-sighted (myopia), or long-sighted (hyperopia).