Can Macular Degeneration Cause Blindness

Macular degeneration doesn t cause total blindness because it doesn t affect your peripheral vision.

Can macular degeneration cause blindness.

These wet forms of macular degeneration involve the growth of blood vessels deep within the eye and when those vessels leak or burst they cause rapid loss of vision. Does everyone with macular degeneration eventually go blind. For patients over 55 years of age macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss. And the condition doesn t affect side peripheral vision so it rarely causes total blindness.

When the photoreceptors in the macula degrade patients go blind. When the central region of the retina starts to deteriorate macular degeneration occurs. If only one eye is affected you may not notice any changes in your vision because your good eye may compensate for the weak eye. There are some forms of macular degeneration that can cause a rapid deterioration of vision unfortunately.

Advanced age related macular degeneration amd is the world s leading cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment according to the brightfocus foundation whose funding backs research in macular degeneration and glaucoma. Your ability to see colors and fine detail becomes impaired. People 55 and older are at the highest risk of developing amd. Dry macular degeneration usually affects both eyes.

These changes may be the first indication of macular degeneration particularly if you re older than age 50. Patients with macular degeneration lose their central vision. Cures do not yet exist for either condition. Loss of color perception due to macular degeneration is the result of a normally formed cell losing its ability to function.

Macular degeneration doesn t affect side peripheral vision so it rarely causes total blindness. It s also the number one. It s estimated that more than 10 million americans have this disease. Macular degeneration is a serious condition that can lead to legal blindness in older adults.

Color blindness is caused by an altered gene causing a cone cell to lack the proper molecular pigment. The cell is healthy in all other respects. You notice changes in your central vision. When to see a doctor.

The patients lose their ability to take part in activities. See your eye doctor if. A person who has been diagnosed with macular degeneration is naturally concerned about permanently losing their sight since the eye disease is the number one cause of severe blindness.