What Causes Macular Degeneration?

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular degeneration is a very serious eye disease that needs to be handled by an experienced ophthalmologist. Macular degeneration or Age-Related Macular Degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina. The retina is the inner back layer of the eye and is an image processing center that is responsible for transmitting images to the brain.

The images are sent through the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina’s central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, work on computers, play athletics, or simply recognize familiar people. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness affecting more Americans than cataracts and glaucoma combined.

Do I have Macular Degeneration?

Macular Degeneration can only be diagnosed and discovered by examining the retina. If you have any of these symptoms, get checked for MD today:

Distortion – straight lines may appear curvy or bent

Difficulty distinguishing faces or anything else in front of you

Dark patches appear in the middle of vision

Difficulty reading, or difficulty with fine vision