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Glite Dictionary
macular edema

macular edema

6.1
Swelling of the center at the back of the eye that blurs vision
  • noun
  • /ˈmækjələr ˈiːdəmə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : edema macular
  • The doctor explained that she was diagnosed with macular edema, which was affecting her vision.
  • diabetic macular edema

Examples

  • Regular check-ups are essential for patients with macular edema to monitor any changes in their eyesight.

  • For the previous 2 years, she had had bilateral macular edema.

    Academic text (1999)

  • After months of treatment, his macular edema improved, allowing him to see better.

Surface Forms

macular edema singular
macular edemas plural
macular oedemas plural
macular oedema singular

Morphology

macular + edema

The meaning 'swelling of the macula' is directly compositional from 'macular' (relating to the macula) + 'edema' (fluid accumulation), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE meaning. Although the vocabulary is medical and low-frequency, the ADJ+NOUN structure is regular and cross-linguistically common, making the construction predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Macular edema starts from two parts: macula, the small central spot at the back of the eye, and edema, a word for 'swelling' caused by fluid. So macular edema means that the eye's central spot becomes swollen with fluid, which is why it can cause 'blurred vision'.