What is the cause of Macular Degeneration?
The cause of macular degeneration is not known. We know that it occurs as part of the aging process in some people, although there are also “juvenile” forms of the condition that develop in people at much younger ages. We do know that macular degeneration can run in families. It has also been linked to smoking. In addition, it tends to be more common in women, fair skinned people and light eye colored individuals. The absence of these risk factors, however, does not mean macular degeneration cannot occur. What are the types of Macular Degeneration? There are two common types of macular degeneration: “dry”, or atrophic, macular degeneration, and “wet”, or exudative, macular degeneration. Dry Macular Degeneration: Most people (90%) who have macular degeneration have this form of the condition. In dry macular degeneration the deterioration of the macula leads to thinning of the macular tissue. This thinning of the tissue leads to progressive loss of vision. It tends to be slow in progress
