Does Dry Macular Degeneration Cause Blindness

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.

Does dry macular degeneration cause blindness.

Because the disease happens as you get older it s often called age related macular degeneration. Vision changes in the dry form are slower and more insidious it may take months or years before one notices that colors are less vivid one s vision has become blurry or a grey or blank spot has developed in the middle of one s vision. Age related macular degeneration amd is the most common cause of blindness in adults aged 50 and older in the united states. Cures do not yet exist for either condition.

Color blindness is caused by an altered gene causing a cone cell to lack the proper molecular pigment. It s estimated that more than 10 million americans have this disease. 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 cause total blindness because it doesn t affect your peripheral vision.

You notice changes in your central vision. This condition does not affect peripheral vision so it rarely causes total blindness. When to see a doctor. Dry amd sufferers may notice a decrease in intensity or brightness of colors.

It usually doesn t cause blindness but might cause severe vision problems. Amd is more common than cataracts and glaucoma. Some experience difficulty in recognizing faces. Macular degeneration doesn t affect side peripheral vision so it rarely causes total blindness.

These changes may be the first indication of macular degeneration particularly if you re older than age 50. The cell is healthy in all other respects. Your ability to see colors and fine detail becomes impaired. In the dry form of the disease which is the most common form the damage begins with accumulations of yellow deposits below the retina known as drusen.

Another form of macular. Dry age related macular degeneration amd is the most common. 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. Age related macular degeneration amd is caused by changes beneath the sensitive tissues that communicate with your optic nerve and allow you to see.

And the condition doesn t affect side peripheral vision so it rarely causes total blindness. This is a common eye disorder for people over 65.