Macular degeneration, caused by age-related macular disease, can result in gradual vision loss over time. Although painless in its initial stages, this change may go undetected for quite some time. Therefore, regular eye exams to detect changes are recommended to detect early symptoms.

Your doctor may ask you to look at an Amsler grid – a series of straight lines with a central dot – and observe any curved, distorted or missing parts which could indicate early macular degeneration.

Visual Acuity Tests

Visual acuity, or the ability to distinguish shapes and details in objects, is one of the primary measures of vision. It depends on how effectively your eye’s optical system can project a focused image onto the clinical macula (a small area on your retina containing high concentrations of cone photoreceptors that helps facilitate central and color vision) with perfect acuity.

Visual acuity tests are most often administered monocularly with the patient seated 20 feet from a Snellen chart containing letters or symbols of various sizes arranged in rows and columns. Patients are then instructed to read out loud the smallest line they can easily identify without glasses; scores are assigned for correctly reading this line with each eye.

An average visual acuity test result does not indicate normal vision; rather, it provides a useful indicator of macula health. Furthermore, even those who score well may still have other issues, including reduced contrast and difficulty tracking moving objects that make performing everyday activities challenging.

At the visual acuity test, your doctor will also use a device known as a slit lamp to examine your retina more closely and detect drusen formation, an early sign of macular degeneration.

For the near visual acuity test, patients are placed in front of a chart featuring modified Snellen lines for near vision, such as Rosembaum charts. When covering one eye, patients should read out loud the smallest line they can see clearly on the chart – this allows an examiner to measure eye acuity by covering both eyes simultaneously and asking them to read out loud that same line from both sets of charts; finally an acuity score is recorded as being determined by which line can be seen without glasses being needed by patient scores or tests taken under both sets of tests

Dilated Fundus Examination

A dilated fundus examination is an integral component of a comprehensive eye exam, using mydriatic drops to dilate (enlarge) your pupil, giving your doctor access to examine its interior and assess its health more thoroughly. Dilated eye exams may help detect issues like macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration is the degradation of your macula, the small area at the center of your retina that allows you to clearly view fine details. Macular degeneration affects central vision and makes tasks like threading needles or driving difficult or impossible, and is the leading cause of blindness among older adults. Early detection may help stop further progression of macular degeneration. For anyone living with macular degeneration it is very important to visit their eye doctor regularly in order to detect early warning signs as early detection could prevent progression of this disease.

Macular degeneration occurs at three stages: early, intermediate and advanced. While symptoms in early and intermediate stages of macular degeneration are generally absent, doctors will use various tests such as the Amsler Grid to help determine whether you have macular degeneration, such as its presence of drusen and changes to your macula.

By inspecting a grid, it’s easy to assess if your central vision has become blurry or darkened. If your doctor notices any changes in the macula, further tests may include angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT). In angiography, dye is injected into an arm vein before traveling throughout your body creating an accurate color map of retinal blood vessels in which new or leaking vessels become evident in real time revealing whether there are new blood vessels or fluid leakage within macula area indicating whether new blood vessels or fluid leakage occurs within macula area.

“Wet” macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak fluid and blood, resulting in rapid vision loss. While wet macular degeneration cannot be treated directly, certain treatments may help slow its progress or even improve vision in some patients.

Angiography

Macular degeneration, also known as macula degeneration, refers to the gradual degradation of the central part of your retina known as the macula. This area collects images that travel down your optic nerve from the retina into your brain in order to help you see straight ahead. When cells in this region begin deteriorating it may result in blurriness or dark areas in central vision; however, peripheral vision usually remains undamaged; however threading needles or seeing faces may become challenging due to impaired peripheral vision.

Macular degeneration occurs in three stages, and early and intermediate symptoms of macular degeneration often do not present themselves until later stages. Therefore, regular visits to an ophthalmologist for screenings is key in monitoring macular degeneration as it progresses.

As dry age-related macular degeneration progresses, deposits under the retina known as drusen may form but do not usually lead to vision loss. Over time however, as the disease advances drusen may increase in size and some may develop geographic atrophy leading to vision loss. It may even advance further and progress into its neovascular form where blood vessels under the retina leak or bleed and cause permanent vision loss.

Your ophthalmologist will use optical coherence tomography (OCT) to diagnose neovascular macular degeneration, taking photos of your retina through this special machine. They may then inject dye into one vein in your arm, taking pictures as it circulates to see if any new fragile blood vessels have developed beneath your retina – this information will allow them to find out which treatment plan would work best.

Whenever a patient presents with wet macular degeneration, their ophthalmologist may utilize an Amsler grid to assess their central vision. The Amsler grid consists of black lines arranged in a graph pattern. When considering wet AMD as a possible cause, an alteration to your Amsler grid may indicate blood vessel leakage under the retina which may then require treatment with photodynamic therapy which has proven successful at slowing progression in some patients.

Retinal Photography

The retina is the thin layer at the back of your eyeball that captures light and transmits it to your brain as visual information. A central area known as the macula collects detailed images for straight-ahead vision. Macular degeneration causes the macula to deteriorate, leading to blurry, dark or distorted central vision in its early stages. However, this change usually does not interfere with daily activities and is the most prevalent form of macular degeneration: dry macular degeneration. This type is characterized by the gradual thinning or deterioration of tissue in the center of your retina and the formation of abnormal yellow deposits under it known as drusen, an early sign of macular degeneration which does not directly lead to vision loss; those who already have them are at an increased risk of advanced macular degeneration that affects central vision (known as “wet macular degeneration”).

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and leak blood into the macula, damaging it quickly. This form is more serious than its dry counterpart as it can lead to rapid vision loss.

If your eye care specialist detects signs of wet macular degeneration in your eyes, he or she may perform an angiography or optical coherence tomography OCT test. In this procedure, a dye injection into one vein in your arm and subsequent picture taking will allow them to see any new or fragile blood vessels forming underneath your retina and pinpoint leaks, providing guidance for any laser treatments for wet macular degeneration.

Optomap allows us to perform this test without pupillary dilation using its high-resolution image of retina technology, making early diagnosis possible of macular degeneration, glaucoma and other conditions early. Alberta Health Care covers this test if considered medically necessary – just keep in mind that after your procedure your vision may become quite blurry and you must arrange for someone else to drive you home afterwards.