NEW YORK, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Reduced vision, also known as vision impairment, is so common that research showed nearly 30 percent of U.S. adults 71 and older have it, according to the latest official figures.

While many factors can contribute to it occurring, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults is age-related macular degeneration, said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that damages the middle part of the retina that's known as the macula, "which is responsible for our central, detailed vision," USA Today on Wednesday quoted Laura Di Meglio, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, as saying.

When this area of the eye is damaged, it leads to a gradual loss of sharp central vision, seeing dark spots, distorted or wavy vision and difficulty seeing colors.

In these ways, it "can severely impact quality of life by making it harder to see fine details even though it doesn't cause total blindness," said Inna Lazar, a Connecticut-based optometrist and founder of Greenwich Eye Care. Enditem

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