​Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a disease which affects your sharp, central vision. The macula is the part of the retina where all the nerve cells are very close together and hence this is where the eye focuses the images that we see. Thus, the macula is the part of the eye responsible for helping us see sharp, focused images and fine details.

Macular degeneration is an age-related disease, which means it affects your macula as you age. It is a common cause of vision loss and blindness in older people over sixty five years of age.

There are two types of macular degeneration:

• Dry form of macular degeneration: This is an early form of the disease, caused due to the aging and thinning of macular tissue, leading to the formation of yellowish spots around the macula. This the more common form of macular degeneration. Smokers, people with a family history of macular degeneration, cardiovascular disease patients and obese people are at a higher risk for developing this disorder.

• Wet form of macular degeneration: Dry macular degeneration may progress to wet macular degeneration, in which vision loss is rapid. In this disorder, abnormal growth of blood vessels takes place in the retina, and these blood vessels leak blood and fluid into the retina. As a result, light-sensitive retinal cells get damaged, causing blind spots in your vision.