{"id":4596,"date":"2025-05-23T20:29:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T20:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/macumira-premium.4ecps.com\/?p=4219"},"modified":"2025-08-20T21:05:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T21:05:25","slug":"what-is-geographic-atrophy-ga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/macumira.com\/ca\/what-is-geographic-atrophy-ga\/","title":{"rendered":"What is geographic atrophy (GA)?"},"content":{"rendered":"

How it\u2019s related to dry AMD and who\u2019s the most at risk<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those with dry age-related macular degeneration (dry AMD), there\u2019s always a risk that this condition could develop into geographic atrophy (GA), a condition where retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells start to die off. Research estimates that there are approximately 180,000<\/a> new cases of GA in Canada each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When cells begin to die or deteriorate, they cannot regenerate, and their loss can result in a decline in visual sharpness and detail resolution. As such, it\u2019s important to know what it is and what the risk factors are so it can be identified and hopefully prevented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is GA and how is it related to dry AMD?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dry AMD is when parts of the macula at the back of the retina start to thin. It can also be marked by an accumulation of clumps of protein called drusen1<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GA is an advanced form of dry AMD that occurs when cells on the back of the retina start to atrophy or die2<\/sup>. Most of the time, this change is irreversible and can cause a dimming or loss of vision in the affected area, causing people to lose their ability to see fine details2<\/sup>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDry AMD is a big spectrum of diseases. It could be just drusen which is basically the deposits under your retina, and these usually would not directly affect the vision,\u201d says ophthalmologist Dr. Ghassan Cordahi. \u201cBut it can go from just the deposits to the disease being more progressive and then you can start losing some of these cells. And by losing these cells, the RPE gets to advanced AMD which is basically geographic atrophy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Symptoms of GA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Cordahi says that the development of GA from dry AMD is a slow progression that could take many years. In its early stages, it may be completely asymptomatic and only able to be detected by an eye care professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can detect it by doing the autofluorescence test which can show us the loss of RPE,\u201d says Dr. Cordahi. RPE stands for retinal pigment epithelium, a critical layer of cells located in the retina. The RPE plays a vital role in maintaining the health and function of the retina, particularly the photoreceptors (rods and cones), which are responsible for capturing light and enabling vision.

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