Overview
The macula is the center part of the retina which is a light-sensitive part of the eye. The macula is responsible for sharp and focused vision. The swelling of the macula is also known as macular edema. It can be caused by various factors such as diabetes, aging, previous eye surgery, retinal vein occlusion, trauma to the eyes and hereditary eye diseases. Swelling of the macula leads to blurring of vision, reduced color vision, double vision, spots in vision and sensation of foreign body in the eye. Chronic swelling of the macula leads to irreversible damages and cause permanent vision loss. It can be diagnosed by visual field test, visual acuity test, colour blindness test, fundoscopic examination, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography. Macular edema can be treated with intraocular steroid injections, intravitreal vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitor injections, laser photocoagulation, and vitrectomy. It is important to treat the condition before it leads to irreversible vision loss by identifying the underlying causes first.
