ABSTRACT
Macular disease describes any disease, dystrophy or disorder of this region in the eye. Macular diseases rob patients of the portion of vision they rely on the most; their central, acute vision. Unlike peripheral disease, macular disease tends to be noticed more early in the disease course by the affected patient. The most common macular disease is age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). Retinal dystrophies include inherited disorders of the retina that result in progressive vision loss and dysfunction. As the result of genetic dysfunction, retinal dystrophies usually affect both eyes. While ideally these disorders are found and diagnosed in childhood, many times symptoms do not appear until adulthood. Sometimes retinal dystrophies can be part of larger syndromes or collections of systemic disorders. There are no current treatments to halt or cure retinal dystrophies, since these diseases occur due to faulty genetic instructions.
