What Is Nonexudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?

Nonexudative AMD is a type of eye disease that happens as people get older. In this condition, the central part of your vision slowly gets blurry because the macula, the area in the back of your eye responsible for seeing fine details, starts to change. Instead of blood vessels leaking fluid, like in another form called exudative or “wet AMD,” dry AMD is marked by tiny deposits called drusen that build up under the retina. These drusen change the way light is processed and hurt the eye cells over time. As the cells break down, central vision may fade slowly, making reading or recognizing faces harder. Scientists still work to learn more about why dry AMD happens and hope to discover better ways to treat it. Although the loss of vision in dry AMD is gradual, it can sometimes speed up, and a few cases may change into wet AMD, which requires different treatment. Doctors often suggest lifestyle changes and nutritional support to help manage dry AMD as no cure is available yet.