CLINICAL EVALUATION OF MACULAR DISEASE
• The macula is a round area at the posterior pole of eye.
• It measures between about 5 and 6 mm in diameter.
• Histologically, it shows more than one layer of ganglion cells, in contrast to the single ganglion cell layer of the peripheral retina.
• The inner layers of the macula contain the yellow xanthophyll pigments lutein and zeaxanthin in far higher concentration than the peripheral retina.
• The name of macula lutea means yellow plaque.
Symptomes of macular eye disease
• Diminish vision and difficulty with close work may be an early symptom of macular disease. The macular Disease onset can be rapid in some conditions like as in CNV.
• Scotoma : in which patients complain of something obstructing central vision, is a symptom of more severe macular disease.
This is in contrast to optic neuropathy, which typically causes a missing area in the visual field.
• Metamorphopsia means distortion of perceived images is a very common symptom that is virtually never present in optic neuropathy.
• Micropsia means decrease in image size is caused by spreading apart of foveal cones and is less common.
• Macropsia means increase in image size is due to crowding together of foveal cones and it is rare occurrence symptoms.
• Colour discrimination may be disturbed but is generally less evident than in even relatively mild optic neuropathy.
• Difficulties related to dark adaptation, such as poor vision in dim light and persistence of after-images, may occur.