As early stages of dry macular degeneration advance, you may notice blurriness in the center of your vision or changes in your ability to perceive fine details. As part of a dilated eye exam, your doctor may locate yellow deposits known as drusen beneath your retina – these could indicate dry macular degeneration is present.

An Amsler grid can help monitor changes to your vision. For advanced AMD, your doctor may use fundus fluorescein angiography to detect leaky blood vessels beneath the retina.

Blurred Vision

Blurry vision is often the first and most obvious telltale sign of macular degeneration, caused by light-sensing cells dying off in your macula, becoming particularly noticeable when exposed to dim lighting conditions. Over time, blurriness may eventually cause a dark spot to appear at the center of your vision and make reading and driving difficult – though peripheral or side vision generally remains clear throughout this gradual decline.

People suffering from dry macular degeneration experience no early symptoms; only blurriness occurs as their condition worsens. If the eye doctor suspects macular degeneration is present, a series of tests including an extensive history review, slit lamp examination and visual testing will be administered to assess its presence. Fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Fluorescein angiography uses dye injected into veins in your arm that travels through blood vessels of the retina before being photographed; this allows doctors to see any newly-formed blood vessels leaking fluid or blood from beneath your retina – an invaluable way of diagnosing wet macular degeneration.

Under wet macular degeneration, new blood vessels sprout beneath the retina near the macula and leak, potentially blurring vision. While less common than dry forms of macular degeneration, wet form macular degeneration poses greater danger.

Macular degeneration cannot currently be treated, however it is vitally important that regular eye examinations be scheduled, with recommendations regarding diet and vitamins taken as advised by an eye doctor. By taking antioxidant vitamins, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and avoiding smoking, risks for macular degeneration are significantly decreased. It is also crucial that other medical conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes be managed as these increase your likelihood of this condition developing further. If any changes appear in your vision it is crucial that ophthalmologist be seen immediately as early detection can provide effective treatment solutions.

Difficulty Reading

Early signs of macular degeneration may cause difficulty reading. This is likely due to blurriness caused by damage to your macula – the area at the back of your eye responsible for sharp central vision that allows you to clearly view fine details – becoming blurry from breakdown. Macular degeneration makes reading, driving and other activities that require sharp central vision more difficult. Your peripheral (side) vision should remain normal however; for example you should still be able to see clock hands without difficulty.

As your disease advances, you may notice wavy lines or small blind spots appear in the center of your vision as the light-sensing cells in your macula continue to break down and yellow deposits called drusen build up beneath the retina causing distortions in vision. Unfortunately both dry and wet ARMD do not cause pain, so you may not even realize when these changes are taking place.

Macular degeneration cannot be treated, but there are steps you can take to help slow its progress. These include eating plenty of fruits and vegetables containing antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin that have been found to protect against macular degeneration – such as those found in foods such as kale, spinach or raw collard greens; in addition to taking nutritional supplements that contain these vitamins.

Following up regularly with your ophthalmologist can be essential in diagnosing macular degeneration at its early stage, when treatment options may still be most viable.

As the disease advances, wet macular degeneration (ARMD) can become increasingly dangerous, potentially leading to rapid and severe vision loss. With wet ARMD, abnormal blood vessels form underneath the retina near the macula area that leak fluid or lift it and distort your vision causing distortion or even leading to rapid loss of straight-ahead vision.

Difficulty Driving

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) can obliterate the central vision required to read, drive and perform other activities requiring clear sight. Affecting only people over 60 and affecting only their macula, which sits at the back of their eyeball; AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss in these age brackets; central vision being what you see when looking directly at objects – its loss leads to gradual vision loss that eventually can result in one or both eyes becoming blind – though not complete blindness as full blindness exists.

Macular degeneration worsens over time and affects both eyes, although you may notice its symptoms first in one. While its cause remains unknown, risk factors that increase chances of macular degeneration include family history, smoking, high blood pressure or cholesterol levels, obesity and having light skin/hair.

People living with macular degeneration can use magnifying glasses to assist them when reading and performing close up vision tasks. Brighter lighting should also be utilized within their homes instead of reading lamps; driving may become difficult with advanced disease, so it’s essential that any difficulties are reported to a physician immediately.

Difficulty walking is another telltale sign of macular degeneration. If you have difficulty picking up footstep or seeing walls, this puts you at greater risk for falls and injuries. If this is something that affects you regularly, speak to your physician about it and seek regular dilated eye exams to pinpoint potential solutions.

Your chances of macular degeneration can be reduced by eating a nutritious diet which features plenty of fruits and vegetables, engaging in physical activity regularly, keeping weight at a reasonable level, as well as eating fish or nuts rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Changes in Vision

As macular degeneration progresses, individuals may notice objects become dim or appear blurry due to central retinal area being affected by macular degeneration; however, peripheral (side) vision usually remains unaffected and so an individual can still navigate their surroundings, read or drive safely with normal peripheral vision.

Macular degeneration begins with blurry vision caused by the gradual loss of light-sensing cells in the macula, but eventually leads to blind spots forming permanently in one’s center of vision. Additional symptoms of dry age-related macular degeneration may include difficulty adapting to changing lighting levels, distortion of straight lines and gray or yellow hued centers of visual fields.

10% of those suffering macular degeneration develop wet AMD, which can quickly and severely impair vision. This condition occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina and leak blood and fluid into the macula causing blurry or dark central vision, eventually leading to blind spots or blindness. Wet AMD can be treated through medical procedures including photodynamic therapy or photocoagulation.

If your vision is compromised, it’s essential that you schedule an eye exam with an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. An exam typically entails taking a detailed patient history, performing a slit lamp examination, conducting various forms of vision testing and special assessments to evaluate retina and macula health. Establish a regular eye exam schedule if you are over 60 years of age, particularly for people at higher risk for macular degeneration. A comprehensive eye exam can detect early warning signs of the condition and help slow its progress. An ophthalmologist can advise patients on healthy eating habits, vitamin supplements and ways to mitigate other risk factors that could increase their chances of macular degeneration, such as smoking and managing other medical conditions, maintaining a healthy weight or staying away from substances known to increase macular degeneration risk. For instance, one may reduce their risk by abstaining from smoking altogether, managing any medical conditions properly and maintaining a healthy weight.