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Macular disease is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK and developed world. The macula is a tiny area of the retina at the back of the eye, which is only about the size of the grain of rice. It is responsible for our central vision, most fine detail of what we see and a lot of our colour vision too.

Nearly 1.5m people in the UK have macular disease. It affects people of all ages. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common condition, generally affecting people over the age of 55. AMD is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, affecting more than 700,000 people.

Geographic atrophy (GA) is the scientific term for late stage dry aged-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is called geographic atrophy, as the damage to the macula tends to start as patches of damage (or atrophy) that look like islands on a map when a doctor looks at the back of the eye.

Visual hallucinations can occur as a result of sight loss.

Up to half of all people with macular degeneration are thought to experience visual hallucinations at some time.

Diagnosing aged-related macula degeneration (AMD)

The optometrist at your local optician’s practice can test sight, prescribe glasses and check for eye disease. Some optometrists use photography or other imaging to detect early signs of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These might include optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans which create cross-sectional images of the retina. You may be charged for these tests.

Diagnosing macular disease

The optometrist at your local optician’s practice can test sight, prescribe glasses and check for eye disease.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a medication used to treat several conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, some skin conditions (especially photosensitive ones) and others that involve inflammation.

A regular eye examination is an important health check for everyone. You should have an eye test every two years or as often as recommended by your optician, even if you don’t have any problems with your sight.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) allows your optician to identify subtle changes over time, such as changes in the vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills the eye), the retina and the macula.