Anatomy and Physiology: A Disease of the Senses

Macular degneration is the degeneration of the macula, which is responsible for sharp, central vision.  It is often caused by aging and is usually genetic.  When it is age-related, it usually results in a slow but painless loss of vision.  Symptoms include shadowy areas in central vision or fuzzy and distorted objects in your vision.


A macular degeneration test can diagnose whether you have the disease.  This is done by looking at the Amsler grid, a chart of black lines organized in a graph pattern.  To a person with normal vision, the Amsler grid will look like this:

However, to a person with macular degeneration, the Amsler grid might look something like this:

There are two forms of age-related macular degeneration, the dry form and the wet form. No definite treatment or cure has been found for the dry form, but it can be prevented by consuming antioxidants, especially zinc and vitamins A, C, and E, selenium, and copper.  For the wet form, laser treatment can be used to stop or lessen vision loss by destroying some blood vessels to prevent the spread of vision loss.  However, laser treatment only works in about half of the cases.

Sources:

Amsler grid pictures from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amsler_grid

information from: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page2_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Causes
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page3_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Symptoms
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page7_em.htm#Macular Degeneration Treatment
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/macular_degeneration/page8_em.htm#Medical Treatment