Macular degeneration. Simulated view of a hand with four fingers held up as seen by someone with macular degeneration. This eye disorder, which is usually age-related, affects the macula, an area near the centre of the retina. Degeneration of the macula leads to distortion, blurring, and loss of vision at the centre of the field of view, which profoundly affects visual functioning but rarely leads to total blindness. For the same scene, seen by a patient with normal vision, see C025/9030.