The most common cause of vision loss in those aged 55 or more, this incurable disease affects millions of people in the United States alone and is the leading cause of loss of independence.
Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them through the optic nerve to the brain. The retina's central portion (the macula) is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye. The factors that cause macular degeneration are not conclusively known.
