Final answer:
Macular degeneration is a condition that affects part of the retina, leading to the death of cells in the macula and resulting in significant vision loss.
Step-by-step explanation:
Out of the conditions listed, macular degeneration specifically affects part of the retina. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in the Western hemisphere. It leads to the death of retinal pigment epithelium cells, which support the macula of the eye, an area crucial for sharp, central vision. As these cells die, the macula deteriorates, resulting in a black spot in the center of vision that can expand, leading to significant vision loss.
Conditions like cataracts cause a clouding of the lens rather than directly affecting the retina, while strabismus affects the alignment of the eyes, and amblyopia, often stemming from strabismus, involves the brain favoring one eye over the other, which can lead to vision loss in the unfavored eye. These do not directly affect a specific part of the retina as macular degeneration does.