ARMD eventually blocks central vision completely, causing legal blindness. Mainstream medicine is baffled by this disease, and so far hasn't been able to pinpoint a cause or a cure. There isn't any mainstream treatment for the dry form, and the therapies for the wet form are last-ditch attempts to preserve sight. Laser surgery can be used to seal up hemorrhaging blood vessels and temporarily stave off blindness, but it's a stopgap measure at best. Drugs that inhibit the growth of new blood vessels have not proven effective either.
Retinal tissues are rich in fats that are vulnerable to the assault of free radicals.
Eyes that are lighter in color have less protective melanin pigment than dark eyes. Melanin acts as a natural sun shield, and more ultraviolet and blue light rays from sunshine can pass through to the macula when there is less of this pigment. These wavelengths of light cause the fats in the retina to become oxidized. Over years of unprotected sun exposure, this can cause significant damage to the retina. This is especially true if antioxidants are deficient.