Macular Degeneration in Spanish

What it means

Macular degeneration, or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is an eye disease that can blur central vision. The National Eye Institute says it happens when aging causes damage to the macula, the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision; the macula is part of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. MedlinePlus describes AMD as a leading cause of vision loss in Americans 60 and older. There are two types, dry and wet. AMD doesn't cause complete blindness, but losing central vision can make it harder to see faces, read, or drive. Early AMD doesn't have any symptoms, and MedlinePlus says regular comprehensive eye exams can detect macular degeneration before the disease causes vision loss.

Spanish term: Degeneración macular
Gender and article: feminine: la degeneración macular
Pronunciation: deh-heh-neh-rah-SYOHN mah-koo-LAHR

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
degeneración macular relacionada con la edad	General	Longer name; the National Eye Institute uses it as the title of its Spanish page, and MedlinePlus en español gives it next to degeneración macular.
degeneración de la mácula	General	Listed by MedlinePlus en español under "Otros nombres".
AMD	General	English abbreviation that MedlinePlus en español and the National Eye Institute keep in Spanish, marked "por sus siglas en inglés".

Degeneración macular is the title of the MedlinePlus en español page, which lists degeneración de la mácula as another name. The National Eye Institute's Spanish page uses the longer degeneración macular relacionada con la edad. Both sites keep the English abbreviation, writing AMD, por sus siglas en inglés. The term is feminine, and the Institute writes la AMD seca and la AMD húmeda for dry and wet AMD.

Mácula is written with an accent on the first a; the Spanish dictionary gives its anatomical sense as mácula lútea, a yellow spot in the retina. The Institute describes the macula as the part of the eye that controls la visión nítida frontal. Its names for the three stages of dry AMD are temprana, intermedia and avanzada (early, intermediate and late). For straight lines that look wavy, the Institute writes las líneas rectas que se ven onduladas, calls this a warning sign of late AMD, and says to see the eye doctor right away: consulte con el oculista de inmediato.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	Straight lines look wavy to me, and there is a blurry area in the center of my vision.	Veo onduladas las líneas rectas y tengo un área borrosa en el centro de la visión.
Clinician	Is it in one eye or in both eyes?	¿Es en un ojo o en los dos?
Patient	Mostly in my right eye. It is getting hard for me to read.	Sobre todo en el ojo derecho. Me está costando leer.
Clinician	I am going to put drops in your eyes to dilate your pupils and check the retina.	Voy a ponerle gotas en los ojos para dilatarle las pupilas y revisar la retina.
Clinician	Does anyone in your family have macular degeneration?	¿Alguien de su familia tiene degeneración macular?
Patient	My mother had it. Do I have the dry type or the wet type?	Mi madre la tuvo. ¿Tengo el tipo seco o el tipo húmedo?
Patient	Am I going to lose my sight completely?	¿Voy a perder la vista por completo?
Clinician	Do you smoke? I ask because smoking raises the risk of this disease.	¿Usted fuma? Se lo pregunto porque fumar aumenta el riesgo de esta enfermedad.

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Macular Degeneration
Spanish (Español)	Degeneración macular
Chinese (中文)	黃斑部退化
Korean (한국어)	황반변성
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Thoái hóa điểm vàng
Filipino (Tagalog)	Macular degeneration
Portuguese (Português)	Degeneração macular
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	จอประสาทตาเสื่อม
Japanese (日本語)	加齢黄斑変性

Where you'll see it

chartreferralmedical recordEOB

Related ICD-10-CM category

ICD-10-CM code: H35 → Other retinal disorders

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Eyes and ears

All terms in this area: Eyes and ears — Ojos y oídos

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.