It has been reported that most Australians have little knowledge about macular degeneration which destroys the macula, a cluster of light-sensitive cells in the central part of the retina, the back of the eye.

Macular degeneration implies difficulty in seeing faces and the results of a survey released for Macular Degeneration Awareness Week showed that only 13 per cent of people surveyed could name a symptom of macular degeneration.

The disease is the leading cause of blindness in Australia.

Some of the symptoms related to Macular degeneration are, you may need more light for reading and other tasks as the eye loses its ability to see detail and in the later stages of the dry form, the damaged parts of the macula often because localized areas of vision loss, or scotomas. Scotomas produce blurred spots, blank spots, blotches or distortion

When you look at things with a damaged macula, objects may seem to fade or disappear. Over time, spots or blotches may darken or increase in size, causing deterioration of central vision.

Other symptoms of the disease include problems with reading and straight lines appearing wavy or bent.

Macular Degeneration Foundation CEO, Julie Heraghty said that there's an alarming risk that people experiencing the symptom dismiss the symptom thinking they just need glasses, or as some people stated, they just through they were experiencing computer-related eye strain.