Many individuals suffering from dry macular degeneration do not show symptoms; however, the disease may progress to wet macular degeneration where abnormal blood vessels form and leak fluid quickly leading to rapid loss of central vision.

Your doctor will conduct an eye exam to check for signs of macular degeneration. They’ll look out for deposits known as drusen in your retina that indicate macular degeneration.

Blurred vision

Blurry vision is one of the telltale signs of eye disease, often brought on by refractive errors (nearsightedness and farsightedness), dry eyes or infections like conjunctivitis (pinkeye). Blurry vision is also often an early indicator that there have been changes to an individual’s macula; when this part of their retina degenerates over time it causes blurry central vision, making reading, driving or recognising faces difficult; though usually not leading to complete blindness.

Blurry vision is often the first symptom of age-related macular degeneration, which affects the retina — the layer at the back of your eye that contains light-sensitive cells essential to seeing. Most commonly found among people over 60 years of age and can progress steadily worse over time; its progress will often go undetected until any significant decrease in vision has taken place. Please be aware that its progress can take years before any noticeable reduction.

Some individuals suffering from dry macular degeneration eventually transition into wet form, marked by abnormal blood vessels leaking blood or fluid into their retina, interfering with macula function and leading to faster central vision loss than in its dry counterpart.

As soon as any symptoms of blurry vision arise, especially suddenly, it is crucial that you visit an eye doctor immediately. An exam can detect conditions like macular degeneration early and corrective lenses or surgery may help if your refractive error or other eye diseases such as cataracts have contributed. In addition, monitoring changes to your vision over time and reporting any significant deviations should be part of routine check-ins with an optometrist; they may even provide you with an Amsler grid so you can self-monitor yourself by regularly checking this grid to see if straight lines appear wavy or completely disappearing!

Changes in your field of vision

Macular degeneration, an eye disease which damages this vital area of your retina that allows you to see fine details and colors, can lead to vision loss over time. Symptoms may range from mild to severe and could develop gradually over years (dry macular degeneration) or rapidly (wet macular degeneration).

Age-related macular degeneration typically manifests itself by making straight lines appear wavy or crooked due to improper functioning of your macula. Other symptoms may include dark spots or blurriness in central vision that makes it hard for you to clearly perceive objects; and in severe cases it may even cause your central vision to completely fade.

If you experience any changes in your field of vision, contact an ophthalmologist immediately. They may recommend tests to detect early signs of macular degeneration. This includes dilated eye exams, optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography – for which drops will be administered to widen your pupils before shining light into each eye and using magnifying lenses to examine its backside.

These exams may also reveal abnormal or fluid-filled blood vessels in your macula, suggesting wet macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration occurs when new, abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak blood or fluid into your macula, making vision loss much faster than with dry forms of macular degeneration.

Your ophthalmologist may suggest using an Amsler grid at home in order to monitor your vision. By holding up this graph against your eye, you can detect any missing or distorted areas, which helps your ophthalmologist establish whether or not you have wet or dry macular degeneration – they may then prescribe treatments such as taking vitamins and minerals to slow its progress.

Changes in your color vision

The macula is responsible for central vision – being able to see fine details and read. Additionally, our color vision and our ability to recognize faces or street signs depend on its function. As we age, macular degeneration causes our central vision to begin deteriorating; although it does not compromise peripheral (side) vision directly, it can make reading or viewing fine details more challenging.

Early macular degeneration typically manifests itself through small areas of distortion or darkening in your central vision, as well as straight lines appearing wavy or curved. If this happens to you, your doctor can use an Amsler grid to assess symptoms – this series of vertical and horizontal lines is known to show early warning signals for macular degeneration. If changes appear in your vision it’s important to notify them immediately so they may recommend specific vitamins and minerals supplements which could potentially delay its progression.

As macula degeneration progresses, it may result in dry macular degeneration – an eye disease in which multiple, yellowish deposits form under the retina in an area known as the macula, known as drusen, which gradually cause central vision loss over time. Some individuals affected by drusen do not experience any visible symptoms while others develop mild to moderate vision loss as time progresses.

About 15% of cases progress to wet macular degeneration, in which abnormal blood vessels form under the macula and leak fluid into the retina, leading to rapid loss of central vision. Multiple tests exist to identify wet macular degeneration including an Amsler grid test and optical coherence tomography scan.

If you suffer from wet macular degeneration, photodynamic therapy (injecting light-sensitive medicine into your arm) may be used by doctors to stop new blood vessels forming beneath the macula. When light is shone upon your retina, this medicine activates and forms blood clots in any abnormal vessels that leak fluid – this treatment process is known as photodynamic therapy.

Changes in your depth perception

Experiencing changes to your depth perception could be an indicator of macular degeneration. Our macular is responsible for our central vision which allows us to read, drive, recognize faces and see fine details clearly; when affected by macular degeneration it may distort this function causing straight lines to appear wavy or blurred resulting in distortion in depth perception and possibly rapid loss of vision. It is therefore vital that any sudden shifts occuring with depth perception is reported to an eye care professional immediately as wet macular degeneration could indicate more serious and rapid loss of vision can occur as quickly as wet macular degeneration can quickly lead to rapid loss of vision loss.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), also known as dry AMD, causes parts of the macula to thin as people age, while small yellow deposits known as drusen form beneath the retina causing progressive loss of central vision over time.

Around 20% of those diagnosed with dry AMD eventually progress to the more serious “wet” form of the disease. Here, abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and begin leaking fluid and blood, distorting central vision and potentially leading to permanent blind spots in central vision.

Macular degeneration usually develops more quickly in those with dry macular degeneration. Risk factors that increase our chances of wet macular degeneration include family history of the condition, smoking cigarettes, insufficient fruits and vegetable consumption and having light skin with blue eyes.

Be sure to get regular medical eye examinations for optimal eye health. A professional can examine both your retina and optic nerve for early signs of macular degeneration such as wavy or distorted lines in your vision, suggesting an Amsler grid chart so you can monitor yourself at home, notifying them immediately of any deterioration in vision, as well as providing treatments such as photodynamic therapy which uses laser technology to seal leaky blood vessels and slow further vision loss.