| If you are a person who has reached middle age, | | | | out initially as dry ARMD. |
| there is a strong possibility that you are starting | | | | The disease rarely causes total blindness because |
| to develop the early stages of Age Related | | | | side (peripheral) vision is not affected. Routine |
| Maculopathy (often called Age Related Macular | | | | daily chores don't seem to be a problem for |
| Degeneration or ARMD). This is an eye disease | | | | people with ARMD. But anything that requires |
| that causes loss of central vision but not | | | | attention to detail (like reading, sewing, driving a |
| peripheral vision. The macula, which is located in | | | | motor vehicle or doing any kind of detail work) is |
| the back of the retina, is what is affected most | | | | dramatically affected, especially during the |
| by the disease. The macula is compromised by | | | | intermediate and advanced stages of the disease. |
| ARMD, resulting in unclear and distorted vision. | | | | In any case, the disease causes little, if any, pain. |
| The most serious form of the disease is wet | | | | This is a disease that strikes elderly people - |
| ARMD. When this condition occurs, abnormal blood | | | | people who now, more than ever - need their |
| vessels form behind the retina and leak blood into | | | | eyes to function. Its cause is not known but |
| the macula's surrounding tissues. Eventually, scar | | | | some studies suggest that heredity and certain |
| tissue builds up around the macula causing | | | | lifestyles play a role in the onset of the disease. It |
| extreme vision problems. This form of the | | | | tends to run in families. People who smoke, spend |
| disease usually comes on very quickly and may | | | | too much time in the sun and/or have high blood |
| be accompanied by a serious hemorrhage behind | | | | pressure or high cholesterol levels seem to be |
| the eye. Or, it can come about gradually starting | | | | more prone to getting the disease. |