I Have Often Heard Macular Degeneration Referred To Simply As “macula.” Is Macula Another Word For Macular Degeneration?
Macula is not an abbreviation for macular degeneration. While many people refer to macular degeneration simply as “macula,” this is not accurate. The macula is the small critical area of the retina responsible for central vision. There are many diseases that affect the macula, including age-related macular degeneration, infectious diseases such as histoplasmosis, and hereditary diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa; therefore, referring to age-related macular degeneration as macula is not accurate.
Although the macula is actually a very small portion of the much larger retina, damage to it can result in severe vision loss. Damage outside of the macula, even if extensive, can have minimal effect on visual acuity because the central vision is spared. For instance, people can have retinal detachments with a significant portion of the retina detached, but if the macula is uninvolved, their vision is still often 20/20, although their visual field or peripheral vision is limited. Conversely, patients who have macular degeneration with involvement of only the very center of the retina may have significant visual loss, even to the point of 20/200 vision or worse, despite having perfect peripheral vision. These examples highlight the importance of the macula and underlie why our treatment of macular degeneration is so important.