Macular Degeneration (Age-Related Type) (cont.)
What are drusen?
Drusen are yellow deposits under the retina. They often are found in people
over age 60. Your eye care professional can detect drusen during a comprehensive
dilated eye exam.
Drusen alone do not usually cause vision loss. In fact, scientists are
unclear about the connection between drusen and AMD. They do know that an
increase in the size or number of drusen raises a person's risk of developing
either advanced dry AMD or wet AMD. These changes can cause serious vision loss.
Dry AMD has three stages, all of which may occur in one or both eyes:
- Early AMD. People with early AMD have either several small drusen or a few
medium-sized drusen. At this stage, there are no symptoms and no vision loss.
- Intermediate AMD. People with intermediate AMD have either many medium-sized
drusen or one or more large drusen. Some people see a blurred spot in the center
of their vision. More light may be needed for reading and other tasks.
- Advanced Dry AMD. In addition to drusen, people with advanced dry AMD have a breakdown of
light-sensitive cells and supporting tissue in the central retinal area. This
breakdown can cause a blurred spot in the center of your vision. Over time, the
blurred spot may get bigger and darker, taking more of your central vision. You
may have difficulty reading or recognizing faces until they are very close to
you.
If you have vision loss from dry AMD in one eye only, you may not notice any changes in your overall vision. With the other eye seeing clearly, you still can drive, read, and see fine details. You may notice changes in your vision only if AMD affects both eyes. If blurriness occurs in your vision, see an eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Ninety percent of all people with AMD have this type. Scientists are still not sure what causes dry AMD.
Next: Which is more common—the dry form or the wet form? »
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