What Is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?
AMD is a common eye disease of older people. It causes loss of the sharp, central vision needed for many daily tasks that involve looking straight at objects. People with AMD may find it difficult or impossible to drive, read, sew, or recognize faces. Many also have trouble distinguishing colors.
It results from an abnormality in a small part of the retina called the macula (MAK-yoo-luh). The retina is a tissue-thin membrane lining the back of the eye. We see objects because light passes through the eye and strikes the retina. Light-sensitive cells in the retina capture images from the outside world and relay them to the brain. The macula, which is about the size of a pencil eraser, relays images in the direct line of focus. People lose this central vision when macular cells degenerate, or stop working normally. The degeneration and vision loss usually occurs slowly, over a period of years. People with AMD retain peripheral vision, or side vision.
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Facts about AMD
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of severe vision loss in people 60 years of age and over.
- About 1.7 million Americans over age 65 have been diagnosed with AMD. About one to two percent have severe vision loss
- Millions of others have milder AMD, but don't know it.
- Although a serious disease, AMD almost never causes total blindness. Most people with AMD continue to live independently, often using devices termed low-vision aids.
- AMD will become a far more serious health problem as a higher percentage of Americans reach age 60. The number of older Americans will double in the next 30 years.
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Macular Degeneration
