Macular Degeneration Overview
What is AMD?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an irreversible destruction of the central area of the retina, called the macula. The retina is the light, sensitive layer of tissue that lines the back of the eye and transmits visual information via the optic nerve to the brain. Macular degeneration leads to loss of the sharp, fine detail, “straight-ahead” vision required for reading, driving, recognizing faces, and seeing the world in color, for example.
Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss and irreversible blindness in Americans age 60 years and older and advanced AMD is a leading cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment in the world. As many as 20 million Americans have some form of macular degeneration, including both early and later stages of the wet and dry forms. A new study shows an increase in the number of AMD cases that is approximately double previous estimates.
Types of Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60. The disease affects the retina, the paper-thin tissue lining the back of the eye.
In the very center of the retina is the macula, which contains the highest concentration of light-sensitive cells, called cones.
- Cones provide sharp, detailed, central vision used in activities like driving and reading.
- In macular degeneration, cells in the macular region begin to die, causing blind spots and distorted central vision.
The two types of macular degeneration are dry and wet.
- People can develop both types of the disease.
- The disease can affect one or both eyes.
- The disease may progress slowly or rapidly.
Wet Macular Degeneration
Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow behind the macula (called choroidal neovascularization) as retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) and photoreceptor cells die.
- The Bruch's membrane begins to break down, usually near drusen deposits, and new blood vessels grow.
- This growth is called neovascularization. These vessels are very fragile and can leak fluid and blood.
- The leaks result in scarring of the macula and the potential for rapid, severe damage.
- Straight-ahead vision can become distorted or lost entirely in a short period of time, sometimes within days or weeks.
Dry Macular Degeneration
The most common type of macular degeneration, about 85 to 90 percent of cases, is the dry (atrophic) type:
- The photosensitive cells of the macula slowly break down.
- Yellow protein deposits called drusen (extracellular waste products from metabolism) form and accumulate under the retina between the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) layer and the Bruch's membrane, which supports the retina.
- Drusen are often found in the eyes of older people, but an increase in the size and number of these deposits is frequently the first sign of macular degeneration.
- Over time, drusen lead to deterioration of the macula and the death of RPE and photoreceptor cells. This process results in a blurring or spotty loss of clear, straight-ahead vision but does not cause pain.
- In the early stages of the disease, the patient may notice slightly blurry vision. However, as more and more of the cells die, central vision worsens.
- Although dry AMD does not cause complete blindness, in its most advanced form, geographic atrophy, it can cause profound central vision loss, severely affecting a person’s quality of life.
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