Macular Degeneration: What is it? What are the symptoms?

The macula is a specialized part of the retina (inside lining of the eye) that gives us our fine central vision. Macular degeneration occurs when the tissues of the macula break down. The cause is uncertain, but it is believed that the blood supply to the macula becomes impaired. Without blood, the macula begins to degenerate.

Macular degeneration is also called age-related macular degeneration and senile macular degeneration. From those terms, you can tell that the condition is associated with advancing age. It is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among the elderly. The disorder also seems to run in families.

Because the macula is responsible for central vision, the earliest symptom of macular degeneration is often a slow decrease in reading vision. There may some distortion in the vision, such as straight lines appearing curved or broken. Areas in the vision may be blocked out or blank. While these symptoms can have other causes, anyone noticing them should be evaluated.

While the loss of central vision may eventually prevent activities such as reading or driving, the patient does not go blind. Peripheral vision remains, allowing the person “getting around” vision.