There are two basic types of Macular degeneration - Age-related and early onset or Juvenile - and they will be explained in detail in seperate sections of this booklet. They are thought to have different causes.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (referred to as AMD) usually does not develop until the sixth or seventh decade of life, although there are cases documented in patients as young as 40. Because of the later onset of this disease, it is difficult to determine if it is inherited, but studies are showing familial patterns of the condition, indicating that there may be genetic causes. There may also be other aspects of your health that are risk factors for Age-related Macular Degeneration; these will be discussed later in this booklet.

Early onset Macular Degeneration appears to be largely genetic; that is, it is a condition that is programmed into your cells and not caused by injury or infection or any other external agent. Certain genes that are necessary for normal vision give faulty messages to the cells in the macula, leading to their progressive degeneration and eventually to vision loss. Early onset Macular Degenerations are relatively rare.

To understand why and how Macular Degenerations occur, scientists must look to a variety of disciplines. Increasingly sophisticated research at the cellular level is providing insight into the processes that cells undergo whey they die, and how one step leads to another. Supporting and co-ordinating the multifaceted research efforts that are necessary to gain these understandings is the objective of the RP Foundation Fighting Blindness. The study of molecular genetics, cell biology, biochemistry, and how these and other fields interact with each other has provided an abundance of avenues for researchers to pursue.

The symptoms of Macular Degeneration, like those of other retinal diseases, vary greatly and range in severity from one person to another. The most common symptoms are blurring of vision with particular difficulty discerning details, both up close and from a distance. People with Macular Degeneration may have blind spots, resulting in a dark or empty area in the centre of their field of vision. They may also notice distortions of lines and shapes, either in everyday objects (e.g. crooked door frames) or in tests given by the eye doctor. Colour vision may also be diminished, although peripheral vision and night vision usually remain unaffected.

Because Age-related Macular Degeneration could begin in one eye, the remaining good eye will take over on its own to compensate for vision loss. It may.be some time before the second eye is seriously affected enough for an individual to notice vision problems. Others do notice a sudden loss of vision. If you experience a sudden vision loss or distortion., it is important that you see your eye care professional immediately.