According to the American Macular Degeneration Association, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans. This makes it even more common than cataracts and glaucoma combined. All of these conditions can lead to blindness, but not all of their progression can be reversed. Macular degeneration causes vision loss in the center of your field of vision. Once it’s gone, there’s no getting that vision back. This is a painless disorder that can affect either eye.