Macular degeneration

Overview

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disorder associated with aging, gradually causes loss of clear central vision. The retina is located on the inside surface of the back of your eye. The macula, in the center of the retina, is responsible for your reading and fine vision. In AMD, the macula begins to deteriorate, causing symptoms that can range from blurred central vision to a blind spot in the center of vision.

There are two types of AMD — dry and wet.

• Dry age-related macular degeneration. By far the more common type, dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive tissues in the macula thin and break down. This loss of tissue gradually causes blurry central vision. Dry AMD occurs in stages — early, intermediate and advanced.
• Wet age-related macular degeneration. In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels under the retina begin to grow, leaking blood or fluid, causing damage to the macula. Wet AMD can cause rapid central vision loss. Wet AMD almost always begins as dry AMD.

Read more about dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for age-related macular degeneration

• Experience. Mayo Clinic eye doctors (ophthalmologists) have extensive experience, treating more than 3,540 people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) each year. Ophthalmologists trained in retinal diseases evaluate and treat people with macular degeneration.

  Staff at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota treats more than 2,000 people with macular degeneration each year. At Mayo Clinic in Florida, more than 870 people are treated each year. More than 670 people are treated each year at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

• Team approach. Ophthalmologists work with other specialists to design a treatment plan to meet your needs. The goal is to improve your quality of life by preserving as much eyesight as possible and preventing further deterioration of your vision. Ophthalmologists at Mayo Clinic have the advantage of rapid consultation with other specialists within Mayo Clinic when needed.
• Latest diagnostic tests. Mayo Clinic doctors use the latest technology to diagnose AMD, including imaging tests such as fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography.
• Advanced treatments. Mayo Clinic offers the most advanced treatments for AMD. For example, treatment for wet AMD may include the injection of a medication directly into the eye to shrink and decrease leakage from abnormal blood vessels, an intravenous injection of a medication that is activated in the macula using a special laser beam (photodynamic therapy), or a different type of laser surgery that destroys the abnormal blood vessels under the retina (laser therapy).

Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is ranked among the Best Hospitals for ophthalmology by U.S. News & World Report.

Mayo Clinic: Answers you can trust

At Mayo Clinic, we assemble a team of specialists who take the time to listen and thoroughly understand your health issues and concerns. We tailor the care you receive to your personal health care needs. You can trust our specialists to collaborate and offer you the best possible outcomes, safety and service.

Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical institution that reinvests all earnings into improving medical practice, research and education. We're constantly involved in innovation and medical research, finding solutions to improve your care and quality of life. Your doctor or someone on your medical team is likely involved in research related to your condition.

Our patients tell us that the quality of their interactions, our attention to detail and the efficiency of their visits mean health care — and trusted answers — like they've never experienced.

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