Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration
Macular Degeneration (pronunciation: mack-yoo-lar de-gen-er-a-shun), also known as Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), is a medical condition which usually affects older adults and results in a loss of vision in the center of the visual field (the macula) because of damage to the retina. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in older adults (>50 years). Macular degeneration can make it difficult or impossible to read or recognize faces, although enough peripheral vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.
Etymology
The term "macular degeneration" is derived from "macula", the Latin word for "spot", referring to the yellowish central area of the retina, and "degeneration", referring to the progressive damage of this area.
Types of Macular Degeneration
There are two types of AMD:
- Dry Macular Degeneration (non-neovascular): Characterized by the presence of yellow deposits, called drusen, in the macula. A few small drusen may not cause changes in vision; however, as they grow in size and increase in number, they may lead to a dimming or distortion of vision that people find most noticeable when they read.
- Wet Macular Degeneration (neovascular): Characterized by the growth of abnormal blood vessels from the choroid underneath the macula. These blood vessels leak blood and fluid into the retina, causing distortion of vision that makes straight lines look wavy, as well as blind spots and loss of central vision.
Symptoms
Symptoms of macular degeneration include:
- Difficulty reading or performing tasks that require the ability to see detail
- Distorted vision
- Gradual loss of clear vision
- A dark, blurry area in the center of vision
- Changes in the perception of color
Treatment
While there is no cure for macular degeneration, some treatments may delay its progression or even improve vision. Treatments for macular degeneration depend on whether the disease is in its early-stage, dry form or in the more advanced, wet form that can lead to serious vision loss.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Macular Degeneration
- Wikipedia's article - Macular Degeneration
This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.
Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski