Few people are aware that macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and that it is the leading cause of blindness for those aged 55 and older in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans.

Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via 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, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

  
     
 
As people age, their chances for developing eye diseases increase dramatically. Unfortunately, the specific factors that cause macular degeneration are not conclusively known and research into this little-understood disease is limited by insufficient funding.
 
Click on the image to see a diagram of types of macular degeneration.
 
 
     
  Types of Macular Degeneration  
 

There are two types of macular degeneration: they are generally referred to as Wet and Dry macular degeneration.

  
     
 

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow behind the macula, then bleed. There is a breakdown in Bruch's membrane, which usually occurs near drusen (yellow cellular debris) deposits and this is where the new blood vessel growth occurs (neovascularization). These vessels are very fragile and leak fluid and blood (hence ‘wet'), resulting in scarring of the macula and the potential for rapid, severe damage. "Straight on " vision can become distorted or lost entirely in a short period of time, sometimes within days. Wet macular degeneration accounts for approximately 10% of the cases, however it results in 90% of the legal blindness.

  
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Dry macular degeneration, in which the cells of the macula slowly begin to break down, is diagnosed in 90 percent of the cases. Yellow deposits called "drusen" form under the retina between the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and Bruch's membrane, which supports the retina. Drusen deposits are "debris" associated with compromised cell metabolism in the RPE and are often the first sign of macular degeneration. Eventually, there is a deterioration of the macular regions associated with the drusen deposits resulting in a spotty loss of "straight on" vision.

  
SEE DIAGRAM
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  Macular Degeneration Surgical Procedures:  
  Click on a link below for a detailed explanation of the procedure.