Do children ever get macular degeneration? i've heard there are forms of macular degeneration that strike only children. is that true? how common are they?

Age : Age related macular degeneration cannot happen in children by definition. However, there are many diseases that impact the macula portion of the retina preferentially (cone rod dystrophy, stargardt's disease, dominant drusen, best disease... Too manny to list here.). These are often inherited eye diseases - many of them have known gene associations. In general these are rare conditions. If your eye doctor starts tossing around "macular degeneration" to describe your child's eye condition, i would recommend seeking a second opinion from a specialist in ophthalmic genetics. We have alll seen patients get poor information from non-expert eye doctors in this area.

We : We use the term macular degeneration to designate a specific disease that only affects adults as we age. There are degenerations of the macule in kids, but not called by that name. A retina specialist is your best choice for further advice!