Try: Macular degeneration is an eye disorder that damages the center of the retina the center of the retina is called the macula macular degeneration makes it difficult to see fine details like threading a needle or reading a phone book cause of macular degeneration the retina is the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye it changes light and images that enter the eye into nerve signals that are sent to the brain the macula is the part of the retina that makes our vision sharper and more detailed macular degeneration is caused by damage to the area around blood vessels that supply the macula this change in the blood vessels damages the macula scientists aren’t sure what causes macular degeneration the disease is most common in people over 60 which is why it is often referred to as age-related macular degeneration risk factors several risks factors increase a person’s chances of getting macular degeneration these include family history race whites cigarette smoking high-fat diet gender females being over weight treatment although there is no cure for the disease several treatments can slow it down these include a combination of vitamins antioxidants and zinc laser surgery special medications low vision aids such as magnifying glasses and other devices can help a person use the vision he she has more effectively and improve quality of life information references adapted from martidis a tennant mts "age-related macular degeneration " in yanoff m duker js augsburger jj et al eds "ophthalmology" 2nd ed philadelphia pa mosby elsevier;2004 chap 125
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Categories: Sage, Topic, Maintenance, Medical Physical, Vision, So-So Vision, Poor Vision
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Keywords: Vision macular degeneration age related macular degeneration vision loss
*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed