Macular degeneration is typically a slow progressive loss of the central vision, resulting in poor detail and especially reading vision. It’s mainly caused by age and is linked to poor circulation in the eye. It has been shown to be worse in people who smoke or have poor circulation.

There are two types of macular degeneration: dry and wet.

The dry type causes a blurring of the central vision but the vision loss is slow and usually less severe in the early stages.

Wet macular degeneration involves bleeding or leaky blood vessels and sometimes growth of unwanted new blood vessels in the macula. This type is much more devastating to vision and requires laser surgery to prevent or slow the vision loss. It’s important to note that this laser surgery rarely restores normal vision, it’s an effort to save what is left of the macula. With wet degeneration, legal blindness is common.

There’s research being done to find the true cause and possible treatments and cures, but there’s no proven procedure to restore macular vision at this time. It’s recommended that attention be paid to good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle to avoid damage to the macula. Contact an optometrist or ophthalmologist in your area for more information.