What is Macular Degeneration?

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in elderly in industrialized countries. It involves more than 10 percent of white adults aged 80 years and is the leading cause of vision loss in people 60 years and older in the United States.

What is the age-related macular degeneration? Just what the name implies - macular degeneration, which is in the back of the eye tissues, such as the retina. Points are what you can see fine details in the central area of focus.

Note that some older people have eyes that are dull exterior. The transparent eye lens becomes opaque due to change in the structure of proteins found in the natural lens. These changes occur in response to UVB rays from the sun in time.

Macular degeneration begins to occur when a protective coating pigment epithelial (RPE) called begins to crumble. In a healthy eye, the RPE acts as a protective filter which transmits nutrients to the macula achieved while preventing possible transport of waste and other harmful substances.

Since the RPE starts to break, waste and other harmful substances can attack the macula. The thinning of the macula in this way is what appears blurry, dark or distorted central vision that all common symptoms of macular degeneration. This is called a dry phase of macular degeneration known.