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Macular degeneration is damage or breakdown of the macula of the eye.
The macula is the small, central point of the light-sensing retina in the back of the eye. It processes the sharp central vision we use for reading and other fine tasks. When the macula loses its ability to function fully, we experience blurriness, darkness, or other visual distortions in the center of our vision. This makes close work, such as reading or threading a needle, difficult or impossible for the unaided eye. Although macular degeneration reduces vision in the central part of the retina, it does not affect the eye's peripheral vision - the ability of the eye to see objects to the side of center.