ext_12781 ([identity profile] wordsofastory.livejournal.com) wrote in [personal profile] rm 2006-11-01 07:01 am (UTC)

Two, what is the cause of Richard's blindness.

I was talking about this with someone before, actually! If you are still looking for information, here's what we came up with: the two most likely explanations seem to be cataracts or Macular degeneration. In the first, the lens thickens and eventually begins to blur and cut off all your sight, and is usually associated with aging or can be a side-effect of some dieases or ultraviolet exposure. They are very, very common.

Macular degeneration is rarer; it's what happens when the light-sensing cells in your eyes stop working. It's known because of the way you can still see around the edges (though that happens sometimes with cataracts, it's one of the basic symptoms of macular degeneration). it, too, is mainly associated with age, but can also be genetic, a side effect of hypertension, or be caused by smoking.

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