Ophthalmologists can't turn the tide of Mother Nature, but they have found many ways to hold her back. The macula, or geographic center of the sensitive retina, allows us to see fine details clearly. As we age, the macula breaks down, causing blurriness or darkness in the center of our vision. There is no cure for patients suffering from atrophic macular degeneration, which is the slower, but more common type. Exudative macular degeneration means that abnormal blood vessels have broken through the macula, leaking fluid or blood into the eye.
Vision loss is rapid and severe.
Luckily, ophthalmologists are able to treat many patients with exudative macular degeneration. If the breakdown occurs away from the center of the macula, then traditional laser surgery usually can correct the problem. However, often the breakdown occurs under the center of the macula. Laser surgery is ineffective in those cases because, while it can stop the leakage, it also destroys the retinal tissue, which can decrease vision further. As a result, researchers are constantly looking for new ways to help patients with exudative macular degeneration.