Macular degeneration is often caused by age, and is damage or breakdown of the tiny area in the center of the eye's retina called the macula which is responsible for straight-ahead (central) vision and allows you to see fine detail. Objects straight ahead of you will be blurry, which makes reading and close-up work nearly impossible especially if both eyes are affected. Regular eye exams are so important because macular degeneration can be detected early by an eye specialist and the risk of developing macular degeneration increases with age. Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in American 60 years of age or older.
