You’re detecting a hazy, gray
spot in the middle of your field of vision, and colors aren’t quite so sharp
for you anymore. You may be experiencing early signs of macular degeneration,
and it’s time to visit your eye doctor.
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness in Americans
older than age 50. There’s no way to reverse damage caused by the disease,
but early detection may help prevent loss of vision.
In macular degeneration, tissue in the small central part of the retina
(macula) deteriorates. The macula is where light focuses after passing through
your cornea, pupil and lens. The macula is responsible for central – or
"fine focus" – vision and your ability to see color and fine
detail when you look directly at something.
Macular degeneration generally takes two forms:
- "Dry."
This form occurs when the tissue of the macula
thins over time.
- "Wet."
In this form, abnormal blood vessels grow
underneath the retina. These vessels may leak and cause scarring and loss of
central vision.
The dry form may convert to the wet form at any time, and the wet form
usually only occurs in people who already have the dry form.
Macular degeneration doesn’t affect side (peripheral) vision, and it
rarely causes total blindness. But it destroys clear, central vision, which is
so important for reading, driving, watching TV and movies, recognizing
people’s faces and doing detail work. That loss of central vision affects
lifestyle and quality of life.
The disease affects as many as 15 million Americans older than age 50. It
affects about 11 percent of the population between the ages of 65 and 74, and
28 percent of people age 75 and older.
Return to Mayo Clinic Information
