Macular Degeneration is known as a vision loss disability. This condition
is caused by the "deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside
back layer of the eye that records the images seen" (AMDF, n.d). When the retina
begins to deteriorate central vision is affected the most, which "controls our ability to
read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail" (AMDF, n.d).
In addition, Macular Degeneration is “steadily increasing with age, affecting 2% of the population at age 40, and one in four people by age 80. For reasons that are not fully understood, AMD is more common in lightly-pigmented and female populations” (Jayakrishna, & Fowler, 2012).
Furthermore, there are two different types of AMD one is "dry" and "wet". Out of the two
types of AMD "dry AMD is a chronic disease that usually causes some degree of visual
impairment, and sometimes progresses to severe blindness" (Jayakrishna, & Fowler, 2012).
The picture below presented by The American Macular Degeneration Foundation shows a representation of what vision could look like with Macular Degeneration.
Some background information on Macular Degeneration. This condition is considered to
be the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million people (AMFD, n.d).
Although there is no current cure for macular degeneration, it is continually research for
new methods of treatment. The picture below presented by The American Macular
Degeneration Foundation, is a display on the the anatomy of an eye with early.
Furthermore, the picture shows where the Macula and other important parts of the
eye are located.
A lot of stereotypes and misconceptions are built around the premise of individuals
who are blind and what they can do. Furthermore, some of the topics brought up
include travel, education, entertainment and culture. Often times society views because
someone is blind, it means they do not enjoy things such as theatre or movies
which is not the case. Another misconception is “many people think that people
who are blind or visually impaired can not live alone or work independently, but people
can adjust living and working skills to their new situation (IRIS Network, n.d).
Ambati, Jayakrishna, and Benjamin J. Fowler. “Mechanism of Age Related Macular Degeneration.” Advances in Pediatrics., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 12 July 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3404137/.
What is Macular Degeneration? - AMDF. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.macular.org/what-macular-degeneration
Misconceptions and Myths about Blindness. (n.d). https://www.theiris.org/resources/faqs/misconceptions-and-myths-about-blindness
