The macula is the central part of the retina and is responsible for reading and other tasks that require the detection of fine detail. People with Macular degeneration have mostly peripheral vision and blurry or no central vision. Without treatment, new blood vessels will grow along the retina and bleed, pentially destroying the retina. People with diabetic retinopathy have blurred and spotty vision. Because the lens focuses the eye, a person's vision blurs when the lens becomes cloudy, just as if one was trying to look at something through a waterfall.
Glare can also be a significant problem for people with cataracts.
This pressure can cause damage to the optic nerve and other parts of the eye. People who have glaucoma lose their peripheral vision, and as the disease worsens, the field of vision narrows. Every year over 50,000 Americans become blind. Blind people do many jobs such as being reporters, teachers, actors, civic activist, secretary s, or professors. Many visually impaired high school students go on to college.