Symptoms & Risk Factors of Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration signs and symptoms

Macular degeneration usually produces a slow, painless loss of vision. Early signs of vision loss associated with macular degeneration can include seeing shadowy areas in your central vision or experiencing unusually fuzzy or distorted vision. In rare cases, it may cause a sudden loss of central vision.

An eyecare practitioner usually can detect early signs of macular degeneration before symptoms occur. Usually this is accomplished through a retinal examination.

What causes macular degeneration?

Many forms of macular degeneration appear be linked to aging and related deterioration of eye tissue crucial for good vision. Research also suggests a gene deficiency may be associated with almost half of all potentially blinding cases of macular degeneration.

Who gets macular degeneration?

Besides affecting older individuals, macular degeneration appears to occur in whites and females in particular. The disease also can result as a side effect of some drugs, and it appears to run in families.

New evidence strongly suggests that smoking is high on the list of risk factors for macular degeneration. Other risk factors for macular degeneration include having a family member with it, high blood pressure, lighter eye color and obesity. Some researchers believe that over-exposure to sunlight also may be a contributing factor in development of macular degeneration, and a high-fat diet also may be a risk factor.

Source: Age-Related Macular Degeneration, article by AllAboutVision.com. ©2009 Access Media Group LLC.  All rights reserved.  Reproduction other than for one-time personal use is strictly prohibited.