Muscular degeneration is an age-related disease that affects the central vision. It is a common cause of vision loss in people over the age of 60. People rarely go blind because of the disease because it only affects the center of their vision. Macular degeneration can make it difficult to read, drive and live a normal daily life that requires use of the central vision.

The macula is in the center of the retina, which is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye. When you use your central vision, light is focused onto your macula. At this point, millions of cells change the light into nerve signals. These signals send messages to the brain and tell it what you are seeing. This is your central vision. It is what enables you to perform activities that require fine, sharp, straight-ahead vision such as reading or driving.

Age-related macular degeneration occurs in two forms. Dry AMD affects 90% of those who have the disease. Research has not proven a cause. For some unknown reason, the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down over a period of time. As this occurs, loss of vision is experienced. Dry AMD often affects only one eye in the beginning but later, the disease may affect the other eye as well. Doctors have no way of telling when and if the other eye will be affected.

Wet AMD occurs in only 10% of all people struck with the disease. However, it does account for 90% of all severe vision loss from age-related macular degenerative disease. Wet AMD occurs when new blood vessels behind the retina grow toward the macula. New blood vessels are very fragile and often leak fluid and blood under the macula. This rapidly deteriorates the macula and leads to rapid loss of central vision.

AMD can occur in middle-aged people but the risk increases with age. People in their fifties have only about a 2% chance of contacting the disease. When that person reaches age seventy-five, chances increase to 30%. According to studies, women have a greater risk factor of getting AMD than men. Smoking also increases the risk, as does a family history of the disease. People who suffer from high cholesterol levels run a very high risk of getting wet AMD.

AMD, whether it be wet or dry, is not painful. With dry AMD, the vision is sometimes slightly blurred. A person will need more light for reading and other tasks that require the use of central vision. Recognizing people may be almost impossible until they are very close to you.

As dry AMD deteriorates the central vision, you may see a blurred spot. This occurs because a large group of cells in the macula have stopped working. Over time, the spot will enlarge and become darker, giving you loss of central vision.

Those who suffer from dry AMD in only one eye often do not notice a change in their vision. With one good eye, they can see fine details and still drive and read. Some people only notice a change in their vision when both eyes have been affected.

Wet AMD has early warning signals. Straight lines may appear wavy. This happens when the new blood vessels leak fluid under the macula. The fluid moves the macula out of position at the back of the eye and vision is distorted. Another symptom of wet AMD is rapid loss of central vision. As with dry AMD, a blind spot may be noticed.

If you notice any changes in your vision that are mentioned in this article, see your eye specialist immediately. He/she can do simple tests to ensure you do not have AMD. One test is the Visual Acuity Test. This is an eye chart that measures how well you can see at various distances. Another is Pupil Dilation. This test lets your specialist see more of the retina. He/she will put drops into the eye to dilate (open) the pupil. This may cause temporary blurring that will last for only a few hours. The procedure is painless.

One early and common sign of AMD is the presence of Drusen. Drusen are small yellow deposits in the retina. These can be seen during the eye examination mentioned above. Drusen alone does not indicate AMD but does indicate that the eye is at risk for developing it. This allows your specialist to monitor your vision closely with regular eye examinations.

 When your eye specialist is conducting the exam, you may be asked to look at an Amsler Grid which resembles a checkerboard. You will be asked to cover one eye and look at a black dot in the center of the grid. While looking at the dot, the straight lines of the grid pattern may appear wavy. Some lines may be missing entirely. These signs may indicate wet AMD.

If your eye care specialist suspects wet AMD, a test called Fluorescein Angiography may be conducted. For this test, dye is injected into a vein in your arm. Photos are taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels of the retina. At this point, the specialist can detect and evaluate leaking blood vessels to determine if treatment is feasible.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or develop any in the future, see your eye care specialist immediately.