Imagine your eye is like a camera. The retina is like the photographic film at the back of the camera. It's a very thin layer of tissue that picks up images and sends them to your brain, allowing us to see.
At the very centre of the retina is the macula. This is a special area we use for seeing fine detail, like when you're reading or recognising faces.
A macular hole is a small hole or tear in the centre of the macula. This stops the macula from working normally. It affects your central vision, particularly for reading and other tasks that need sharp sight.
A macular hole does not cause total blindness. It only affects your central vision. Your side (peripheral) vision will not be affected.
Most macular holes happen as part of the eye's natural ageing process. The jellylike substance that fills the inside of your eye is called the vitreous gel. As we get older, this gel can shrink and pull away from the retina. Sometimes, it pulls too hard on the macula, causing a tiny hole to form.
Macular holes are more common in people over 60 and are twice as likely to affect women. In about 1 in 10 cases, it can affect both eyes.
Less commonly, macular holes can also form after:
A macular hole affects the central region of the vision used for reading and recognising other fine detail.
Macular holes often start slowly and the symptoms will depend on the size of the hole. Whilst some people barely notice it at all, others experience:.
Find out more about surgery for macular hole
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm excluding bank holidays for general enquiries or to book an appointment.
Send us your enquiry and we will get back to you as soon as possible, usually within one working day