What is macular degeneration, and what is the difference between the wet and dry forms of the disease?
Age-related-macular degeneration is a progressive disease that destroys the vision of nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 60. The disease affects the macula — the part of the eye that focuses on fine details — making everyday tasks like driving and reading impossible. Q: It seems as if athletes are able to recover much quicker from sports injuries than ever before. What advances in medicine are making this possible? A: Joint injuries are common among athletes, and until recently, treatment required large incisions, prolonged hospital stays and sometimes wearing a cast for several months. Today, thanks to arthroscopy, a minimally invasive outpatient procedure, treatment is reduced to tiny incisions, less pain and faster recovery times. Arthroscopies are performed mostly on shoulders and knees. An arthroscope, the instrument used to diagnose the problem, is a small, pencil-sized device with a miniature video camera on the end. The physician first makes small holes around the injur
