The macula is a small area at the center of the retina responsible for what we see straight in front of us.
The pupil, close to the front, is the opening for light. Just behind the pupil is the lens, which focuses the light on the retina at the back of the eye. The retina converts the light into images and sends them to the brain.
Sometimes the vision cells of the macula become damaged and stop working. If blindness occurs later in life, it is called 'age-related macular degeneration' and thus often known as AMD.