What is maculopathy, or macular degeneration

By Cristiano Antonino On Oct 24, 2022

Macular degeneration, also known as maculopathy, is a disease that generally manifests itself with advancing age (after the age of 50) and involves a progressive loss of vision in the central area

Around 3.5 million people in Italy suffer from it. Early diagnosis, with regular eye examinations, is the most powerful weapon for combating maculopathy and making the best use of therapies.

What maculopathy is and what causes it

Maculopathy is a pathology involving the macula, i.e. the region of the retina located in the centre of the eyeball, where the physical-chemical processes that condition the sensory mechanism of vision take place.

The causes of the onset of this disease are not entirely known, but it mainly appears in people over 50 years of age, as it is with advancing age that the delicate cells of the macula are damaged, causing a progressive loss of vision in the central area.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of maculopathy and is generally distinguished in:

Atrophic macular degeneration
Exudative macular degeneration

In 90 per cent of cases, this is atrophic maculopathy, in which the retina thins because the visual cells stop functioning and disappear. In this case, vision loss is gradual and there is no treatment.

In exudative maculopathy, abnormal vessels appear that ooze serum or bleed, which then stimulates the formation of a scar.

This form can be blocked by laser, but only if treated early when the abnormal vessels from which fluid is oozing are not in the centre of the macula.

Symptoms and diagnosis of maculopathy

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) does not cause pain.

In fact, initially the visual problem may not be noticed, because it is compensated with the eye still being healthy.

The first symptoms are usually

distortion of images (metamorphoses), whereby objects appear distorted and/or shrunken;
a spot of central ‘darkness’ appears in the vision that returns, for example, the outline of the clock but not the time shown.

This development can occur rapidly or over a period of months and tends to involve both eyes over time.

This is why it is advisable to have an eye check-up every year, during which the ophthalmologist specialist, by means of a fundus examination and retinal angiography, can make a definite diagnosis of maculopathy and intervene with certain treatments.

Red Eyes: What Can Be The Causes Of Conjunctival Hyperemia?

Autoimmune Diseases: The Sand In The Eyes Of Sjögren’s Syndrome

Corneal Abrasions And Foreign Bodies In The Eye: What To Do? Diagnosis And Treatment

Covid, A ‘Mask’ For The Eyes Thanks To Ozone Gel: An Ophthalmic Gel Under Study

Dry Eyes In Winter: What Causes Dry Eye In This Season?

What Is Aberrometry? Discovering The Aberrations Of The Eye

Dry Eye Syndrome: Symptoms, Causes And Remedies

What Is Macular Pucker And What Are The Symptoms