Macular degeneration

Macular degeneration

Macular degeneration describes a variety of pathological conditions that affect the area of sharpest vision (macula lutea), leading to the loss of central vision due to the build-up of metabolic waste products in the eye. Blind spots may form within the central field of vision, growing larger as time passes. In the final stage, vision is only possible with peripheral retinal areas. Since patients retain their peripheral vision, they are still able to find their way around outdoors, and they are also not affected by night blindness due to the topography of rod photoreceptors gathered around the macula lutea.