Macular degeneration is one of the most common eye conditions that affect people as they age. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, make an appointment to speak with one of our ophthalmologists at Reeve Woods Eye Center in Chico, CA, about your options.
 

Floaters or Dark Spots

The macula is the part of the eye that focuses light coming in from the center of your field of vision. As it degenerates, it can no longer process the light coming in. Your brain "reads" this as a dark spot in your field of vision. As you move your head around, other parts of your eye will process the light that you see, however. Your brain uses this information to create a picture of the world that will include dark spots that can seem to float or move around. These are areas where your brain is not receiving any visual information.

There can be other causes for dark spots in your vision, but those caused by macular degeneration are usually located in the center of your vision field. As this condition gets worse, the spots will grow larger as less light is processed by the eyes.
 

Blurry Vision in the Morning

Early in the condition, your brain will try to adjust to not getting vision information from your eyes. When you first wake up, however, it takes the brain a while to start compensating for this loss of information. It is believed that this might be why some people will only experience loss of visual information first thing in the morning. As the brain works to compensate, vision will clear up.
 

Schedule an Appointment Today

If you live in the Chico, CA, area and are experiencing any of these symptoms, call Reeve Woods Eye Center today at (530) 899-2244. Our eye surgeons can evaluate you and determine the best way to treat and protect your eyes.