Can younger people get macular degeneration?
Early onset macular degeneration (birth to age 7) is a genetic disease. It is called Best disease or vitelliform macular degeneration. Middle onset macular degeneration (age 5 to 20) is also a genetic disorder. This is commonly called Stargardt’s disease, fundus flavimaculatus, or macular dystrophy. People in their thirties or forties can develop a form of the disease that is also inherited. It may be called Sorsby’s dystrophy, Behr’s dystrophy, Doyne’s dystrophy, or honeycomb dystrophy. Finally, myopic macular degeneration can occur in people who are severely near-sighted due to extreme elongation of the eyeball. This condition can result in tears in the macula and bleeding beneath the retina.
