An annual eye exam is the best way to detect age-related macular degeneration. Your eye doctor will use an Amsler grid pattern of straight lines as a diagnostic test and see if any appear wavy or are missing altogether.

Macular degeneration occurs when your retina’s macula deteriorates or breaks down, rendering fine details difficult to discern clearly in dim lighting conditions. Macular degeneration may impair vision for people aged 55 years and above and makes seeing fine details harder overall.

Blurred Vision

Macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease which gradually blurs central vision by damaging light-sensitive retina tissue at the back of your eye, eventually leading to loss of sharp central vision but with peripheral (side) vision still remaining clear. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe vision loss among Caucasians over 65 and it cannot be cured – although certain vitamins and minerals may slow progression.

Blurred vision is often the telltale sign that macular degeneration has set in, at first manifested as straight lines appearing wavy or as though there is a dark spot at the center of your vision. Over time, as the disease progresses it may become increasingly difficult to read and drive and your ability to recognize faces or objects will decline significantly; some individuals develop black or dark patches in their central field of vision that become more noticeable over time.

Macular degeneration most often manifests itself in its dry form, where tiny yellow protein deposits known as drusen accumulate beneath the retina and slowly destroy your macula, eventually interfering with fine details becoming visible to you.

10-15 percent of cases of macular degeneration fall under the wet category, in which abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and begin leaking fluid or blood. As these leaky vessels spread their damage across straight lines and ultimately central vision in one eye, distortion occurs as straight lines distort further and vision rapidly fades away.

Regular eye exams are the ideal way to identify any changes in vision that indicate macular degeneration, particularly if there is a family history of the condition. Your eye doctor will use an Amsler grid chart during an exam to check for distortion of straight lines and dark spots at the center of your vision, along with performing slit lamp examination of your front surface of eyes as well as fluorescein angiography if applicable.

Difficulty Reading

Reading difficulty can be a telltale sign of AMD as it signifies degeneration of your light-sensing cells in your eye, which are responsible for central vision (which you use when reading or looking at faces). As these cells degenerate, central vision becomes blurrier. Furthermore, straight lines may appear crooked as fluid from abnormal blood vessels under your retina leak out and lift the macula, distorting your view.

As AMD progresses, it can eventually cause total blindness in one or both eyes; the earlier you catch it, the less severe will be your loss of central vision. You can protect yourself from AMD by eating fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants to lower your risk. Lutein and zeaxanthin are particularly important antioxidants for protecting macula degeneration by blocking oxygen-charged molecules that damage its structure; you’ll find both in foods such as kale, raw spinach and collard greens; nutritional supplements also contain these antioxidants as well.

If you notice symptoms of macular degeneration, it’s essential that you visit an eye care professional as soon as possible. They can diagnose it by using drops to dilate, or enlarge, your pupils so they can better see the back of your eye. In some instances, doctors may suggest fluorescein angiography tests which examine circulation within retinal blood vessels.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition which primarily affects the central portion of your retina – light-sensing nerve tissue in the back of your eyeball – leading to severe vision loss in people over 60, limiting reading, driving or performing other tasks that require central vision such as reading. While not blindness, AMD does affect central vision severely enough that reading, driving, driving a vehicle or performing other activities that rely on central vision becomes challenging; early symptoms may include blurred distance vision with dark spots appearing near or near center as well as distorted straight lines becoming visible.

Difficulty Driving

Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is one of the leading causes of severe vision loss among American adults aged fifty or over. It occurs due to retinal damage; a thin layer of tissue that lines the back of each eyeball and sends information about light directly to the brain. Macular degeneration is a progressive condition which worsens over time without ever leading to blindness; instead it makes everyday tasks increasingly challenging and stressful as time goes on.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties, dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration typically leads to gradual thinning and breaking down of the macula in your retina, leading to decreased central vision with straight lines appearing bent or wavy; over time a dark spot may form near the center of your vision that grows larger; typically no pain is associated with dry macular degeneration and it usually does not interfere with peripheral (side) vision.

Wet ARMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels begin to form beneath the retina and move toward the macula, potentially leaking blood or fluid, eventually leading to rapid central vision loss. Early symptoms are similar to dry ARMD.

Photodynamic therapy has recently emerged as an innovative treatment option for wet ARMD, as an office-based procedure which may slow its progress while possibly improving vision in some instances.

Diet and exercise can significantly lower the risk of macular degeneration. Diets rich in omega 3 fatty acids — found in fish and walnuts, for instance — may help. In addition, wearing sunglasses and getting sufficient rest are other effective measures that can protect eyesight from macular degeneration. It is crucial to visit an eye care professional regularly as you get older; making regular eye exams even more essential as time goes on.

Blind Spots

Macular degeneration, an eye condition in which fine detail vision and straight-ahead sight are affected by changes to your retina in the back of the eye, may be responsible. Macular degeneration often appears gradually over time affecting only part of your retina at first, yet still causes blind spots in central vision that don’t bother people at first as the loss occurs gradually and only affects small sections of retinal tissue. This eye disorder affects people of all ages but most often arises as people age as it gradually affects central vision affecting just small regions of retinal cells responsible for fine details vision or straight ahead sight being affected – an increasingly prevalent problem as people age as it gradually reduces central vision loss caused by macular degeneration affecting only part of retinal pigmentary layer responsible for fine details of fine details or straight ahead sight being affected, along with color vision impairment which affects color vision as well as color perception affecting reading, driving or recognising faces as people become impaired over time affecting only small areas on retinal layer 1 but is more common due to age related loss as people lose central vision gradually over time due to gradually losing control over central vision from having control over one part of retinal region being affected over time while only part of retinal loss occurs and affects small portions of retinal retinal area, usually without major disruption caused by loss occurring over time affecting only part of retinal area which normally affected so people whose central vision receptibility a lot later than expected when reading or driving or recognizing faces from read/drive/identify faces etc… This disorder usually does not bother people at first affecting small part affecting small area being affected. It slowly changes taking effect gradually leaving less area due to loss as time; often less central vision gradually occurring by only small area being affected and finally losing out altogether due to loss gradually loss, with gradual loss than expected affecting only affecting retina.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties, dry and wet. The former typically develops gradually over time due to age-related breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the macula, leading to deterioration of central vision that usually remains mild, though in its later stages may cause blurry spots or blind spots at the center of your visual field. Dry macular degeneration is distinguished by yellow deposits on retina known as drusen which your doctor will identify during a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

Wet macular degeneration arises when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid and blood into your macula, distorting your vision, and often leading to rapid and severe loss of central vision. Treatment for wet macular degeneration includes photodynamic therapy or PDT with Visudyne as the medication that destroys new blood vessels; an eye doctor uses nonthermal laser beams in your eyes to activate Visudyne so it targets and destroys abnormal vessels; this has proven successful in slowing vision loss rates as well as even improving vision in some cases. Studies have indicated this treatment slowing vision loss rates while improving vision loss rates in some cases even significantly!

Though AMD cannot be treated, regular eye exams with an eye doctor can help detect it early and start treatment sooner. If you experience symptoms associated with macular degeneration and/or have family history of it, contact Rowan Eye Center immediately so we can arrange a board-certified ophthalmologist exam at our center! Contact us now to set an appointment!