Research has not yet uncovered the cause of Macular Degeneration. The disease is frustrating for both patients and doctors because there still are very few treatment options and no known ways to prevent the disease.

Macular Degeneration can hide without any obvious symptoms. If the disease affects one eye, your other eye can compensate for loss vision. This means you man not notice the loss until it becomes very apparent.

There are other risk factors besides age that can lead to Macular Degeneration. Your chance of developing Macular Degeneration more than doubles if you smoke or have smoked in the past 15 years. In addition, research has shown that Caucasians tend to get the disease more often than other races. If you have relatives with Macular Degeneration, you also have a higher risk of developing the disease.

Knowledge and understanding the disease may help save your vision. Macular Degeneration is a serious disease that you may be able to combat if it is diagnosed early.