The macula is the central part of the retina of the eye that is the most sensitive of all the photoreceptors[?] in it. It is the macula that enables us to make out fine detail, to focus on an object and to read.
Whereas loss of peripheral vision[?] may go unnoticed for some time, damage to the macula will result in loss of central vision[?] which is usually immediately obvious to the person involved.