Definition of North Carolina Macular Dystrophy (NCMD)

North Carolina macular dystrophy is an inherited eye disorder that affects the development of the macula, located in the center of the retina. The main symptom of North Carolina macular dystrophy (NCMD) is blurred central vision with normal color vision, but some affected people can also have problems that vary in severity. NCMD is considered non-progressive, meaning that most doctors believe the symptoms do not change after birth or become worse over time. NCMD is caused by changes (genetic mutations) in a region of chromosome 6 (MCDR1 locus), as well as in a region of chromosome 5 (MCDR3 locus).