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 or slightly distorted central vision to a blind spot in the center of vision.

There are two types of AMD — dry and wet.

• Dry AMD. By far the more common type, dry AMD occurs when the macula's light-sensitive cells break down, gradually causing blurry central vision. Dry AMD occurs in stages — early, intermediate and advanced.
• Wet AMD. Less common, wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels under the macula start to grow, leaking blood or fluid, causing swelling. This swelling affects the macula and causes rapid central vision loss. Wet AMD almost always begins as dry AMD.

Why choose Mayo Clinic for AMD

• Experience. Mayo Clinic eye doctors (ophthalmologists) have extensive experience, treating more than 8,000 people who have AMD each year.
• Team approach. Ophthalmologists work with other specialists to design a treatment plan to meet your needs. The goal is to improve quality of life by preserving as much eyesight as possible and preventing further deterioration of your vision. Ophthalmologists within Mayo Clinic have the advantage of rapid consultation with other specialists when needed.
• Latest diagnostic tests. Mayo Clinic uses the latest technology to diagnose AMD, including imaging tests such as fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT).
• 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, intravenous injection of a medication that is activated in the macula using a special laser light (photodynamic therapy), or a different type of laser surgery that destroys the abnormal blood vessels under the retina (photocoagulation). Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and Florida may also occasionally offer a surgical treatment for AMD.

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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Read more about dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration.