Macular degeneration is a disorder that includes a variety of eye diseases that affect central vision. Central vision is what you see directly in front of you rather than what you see at the side (or periphery) of your vision.

What are the symptoms?

Both dry and wet AMD cause no pain.

For dry AMD: the most common early sign is blurred vision. As fewer cells in the macula are able to function, people will see details less clearly in front of them, such as faces or words in a book. Often this blurred vision will go away in brighter light. If the loss of these light-sensing cells becomes great, people may see a small–but growing–blind spot in the middle of their field of vision.

Macular Degeneration Causes

Age: The likelihood to develop macular degeneration increases with age.

Race: Macular degeneration is more common in whites but occurs in all races.

Gender: Women seem to be at greater risk

Macular degeneration can be inherited. I can also occur in juveniles (juvenile macular degeneration) and may not necessarily be associated with the aging process. Occasionally, injury, infection or inflammation can also damage the delicate tissue of the macula.

Macular Degeneration  Treatment  

There is no specific treatment for dry macular degeneration, although zinc supplements may slow the progression of the disease (see zinc in diet).

Laser photocoagulation (laser surgery to stop the leaking in choroidal blood vessels) may be useful in the early stages of the wet form of the disease. It involves the use of a thermal laser, which burns the abnormal, leaky blood vessels and stops them from spreading.

If exudative AMD is untreated, vision typically deteriorates substantially, often to blindness. However, peripheral vision is usually retained. Results of treatment depend on the size, location, and type of neovascularization. Thermal laser photocoagulation of neovascularization outside the fovea may prevent severe vision loss. Photodynamic therapy, a laser treatment, provides benefit under specific circumstances.

Both eyes are usually affected, although one eye may be affected before the other. The good eye usually compensates for the affected eye and for many years this can disguise the fact that there’s a problem. There’s no pain or redness of the eyes.

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