Macular Degeneration Disease Glossary
Navigating a diagnosis of an age-related disease can be overwhelming, especially with all the new medical terms involved. Whether you're preparing for a doctor’s visit or simply want to better understand a macular degeneration diagnosis, this glossary serves as a quick reference to help you define and understand commonly used terms.
Glutamate
The most abundant communication chemical in the brain that transmits messages between nerve cells (neurons). During Alzheimer’s disease, the brain accumulates too much of this chemical, causing damage and cell death.
Hippocampus
A brain structure that is a hub for learning and short-term memory.
Intraocular eye pressure
The fluid pressure inside the eye. Eye pressure is a major risk factor for glaucoma; however, not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma, and glaucoma can develop without increased eye pressure.
Iris
The colored ring of tissue behind the cornea that regulates the amount of light entering the eye by adjusting the size of the pupil.
Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease
The most common form of Alzheimer’s disease, appearing after 65 years of age. This type of Alzheimer’s can be caused by a combination of genetics, environment, and lifestyle.
Lens
The transparent structure suspended behind the iris that helps to focus light on the retina; it primarily provides a fine-tuning adjustment to the primary focusing structure of the eye, which is the cornea.