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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is most often related to aging. There are some unusual types of macular degeneration that start very early in life, however, most patients with macular degeneration begin to notice problems with eyesight sometimes after age 50. Macular degeneration may be hereditary and therefore may run in families. Macular degeneration usually starts with the appearance of spots called drusen under the retina. Drusen are like age spots and do not usually change vision very much themselves. Most patients with drusen never have a serious loss of vision and only a few develop severe macular degeneration with loss of vision. In general, it is important to discover any change in eyesight as early as possible because the chance that treatment will help is greatest in the early stages of any eye problem. That is why you should test the eyesight in each eye, each day, especially if your doctor has told you that you have drusen.

An epiretinal membrane, also known as a macular pucker, is a thin layer of scar tissue that forms over the macula, the area of the retina that gives us clear central vision. An epiretinal membrane often develops with age, as the vitreous gel that makes up most of the eye’s volume thins and pulls away from the retina. The damage caused to the retina leads to the formation of scar tissue on the retina. When the scar tissue contracts, the retina wrinkles, or puckers, causing blurry or distorted central vision.

A retinal vein occlusion occurs when a vein in the retina is blocked. The blocked vein damages damages the blood vessels of the retina, causing hemorrhages and leakage of fluid. There are two different types of retinal vein occlusion: Central Retinal Vein Occlusion and Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion. In a CRVO, the main vein of the eye becomes blocked. In a BRVO, one of the smaller branches of vessels becomes blocked.

In diabetic retinopathy, the blood vessels of the retina become abnormal and cause the problems that diabetic patients have with their eyesight. In a normal eye, the blood vessels in the retina do not leak. In patients with diabetes, the retinal blood vessels can develop tiny leaks. These leaks cause fluid or blood to seep into the retina. The retina then becomes wet and swollen and cannot work properly. The form of diabetic retinopathy caused by leakage of the retinal blood vessels is called non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

A macular hole is a relatively uncommon cause for loss of central vision. The first symptoms of macular hole may be slight distortion of vision, which soon progresses to a blind spot in the central vision. The symptoms of macular hole resemble those of macular degeneration initially. Macular degeneration is a totally different problem but occurs in the same place as macular hole.

Most people know that high blood pressure and other vascular diseases pose risks to overall health, but many may not know that high blood pressure can affect vision by damaging the arteries in the eye.

Branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) blocks the small arteries in the retina, the light-sensing nerve layer lining the back of the eye. The most common cause of BRAO is a thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot. Sometimes the blockage is caused by an embolus, a clot carried by the blood from another part of the body.

Small specks or clouds moving in your field of vision as you look at a blank wall or a clear blue sky are known as floaters. Most people have some floaters normally but do not notice them until they become numerous or more prominent.

In most cases, floaters are part of the natural aging process. Floaters look like cobwebs, squiggly lines, or floating bugs. They appear to be in front of the eye but are actually floating inside. As we get older, the vitreous (the clear, gel-like substance that fills the inside of the eye) tends to shrink slightly and detach from the retina, forming clumps within the eye. What you see are the shadows these clumps cast on the retina, the light-sensitive nerve layer lining the back of the eye.

Central serous retinopathy (CSR) is a condition in which a patient develop pockets of fluid under the retina, usually in the macula. This may cause distortion or blurred vision. This is usually a self-limited condition and vision generally recovers on its own within a few months.

A retinal detachment is a very serious problem that usually causes blindness unless treated. The appearance of flashing lights, floating objects, or a gray curtain moving across the field of vision are all indications of a retinal detachment. If any of these occur, see an ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) right away.