Macular degeneration (AMD), is a disease that leads to central vision loss. It does this by damaging light-sensitive cells known as macula in the retina – these create detailed images of straight objects and faces, thus rendering vision less clear.

Symptoms may include blurry vision, distortion of straight lines, and blind spots. Regular eye exams should be undertaken in order to detect changes early.

Blurred or distorted vision.

The macula of our eyes allows us to see fine details and perform everyday tasks such as reading or threading a needle. When its function begins to decline, our central vision becomes blurry or distorted – though this won’t interfere with peripheral vision functions such as driving, walking and recognising faces – however this distortion may make reading or seeing clocks or menus difficult.

Macular degeneration’s early symptoms aren’t always easy to spot. Some may notice gradual haziness or blurriness of their central vision; this varies among eyes, as one eye may become affected more than the other. An important indicator of macular degeneration early is blurred or distorted straight line vision which is easily identified with a dilated eye exam that includes viewing an Amsler grid grid of black lines arranged graph pattern (Amsler grid).

AMD comes in two varieties, dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration (DMD), the more prevalent form, occurs as cells in the macula thin out and degenerate, leading to blurry central vision that may be alleviated with brighter lights but may eventually cause distortions like straight lines or small blind spots that become worse over time. Early signs of dry macular degeneration include blurry central vision that improves with more illumination or may even result in distortion or small blind spots that grow larger over time.

Wet macular degeneration is less frequent and results from abnormal blood vessels forming beneath the macula that leak fluid, leading to it lifting from its regular position in the back of the eye, leading to distortion of central vision and distorting straight lines appearing wavy or having dark, small blind spots appearing within its field of view. Early symptoms may include straight lines appearing wavy or having dark, small blind spots appear within your field of vision.

If you experience either of the above symptoms, contact your eye doctor as soon as possible to arrange a dilated eye exam and other tests such as fluorescein angiography or optical coherence tomography to diagnose macular degeneration and provide treatments options to slow its progress and improve vision. Receiving regular exams will ensure proper diagnosis.

Colors appear more pale.

Colors appear more pale as a sign of macular degeneration due to damage to the macula, decreasing one’s ability to distinguish color brightness and discriminate light and dark shades more accurately; it becomes difficult to differentiate light colors from dark hues and distinguish different hues of brown or gray shades, yet peripheral vision remains unchanged by these changes.

Macular degeneration often doesn’t produce symptoms during its early stages, however people may notice blurriness in their central vision. If this occurs, individuals should visit an ophthalmologist immediately as they will likely use special tests, like optical coherence tomography (OCT). For this test, an ophthalmologist injects dye into a vein in your arm before taking images of the retina as the dye circulates through blood vessels – helping him or her determine whether there are new or leaky blood vessels under your retina that contribute to macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration’s more advanced stages cause people to notice more significant problems with their central vision. Depending on which form it takes, macular degeneration may also impair color vision; those living with dry macular degeneration often need brighter lighting when reading or performing tasks as the central portion of their vision begins to blur, leading to straight lines becoming wavy and gray or blank spots appearing within their field of view.

Wet macular degeneration is a more serious form of macular degeneration and occurs when abnormal blood vessels start growing under the retina in the macula and begin to leak fluid or blood, blurring or distorting central vision over time. If these abnormal vessels continue to leak fluid or blood for too long, more vision will be lost over time due to our central vision becoming obscured or blurred as a result of their leakage or growth resulting in vision loss over time.

Difficulty recognizing faces.

The macula is a small area in the center of your retina that allows people to read, drive a car, and see fine details clearly. When macular degeneration strikes, central vision becomes blurry and distorted but doesn’t affect peripheral (side) vision; therefore allowing people to still drive, walk around, recognize faces etc; however it may become challenging distinguishing colors or seeing clock hands clearly.

It is critical that if you notice symptoms of macular degeneration that you visit an eye doctor promptly. Early intervention increases the chances of slowing its progress. Your eye doctor can evaluate macular degeneration using several tests, such as a regular dilated exam and Amsler grid test (which involves drawing straight lines in an analogous fashion to checkerboard lines). If the lines appear wavy or missing, this could be a telltale sign of advanced macular degeneration. Your doctor may use an imaging procedure called angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT) to detect blood vessels beneath your retina. An angiography procedure begins by injecting a harmless orange-red dye into a vein in your arm, followed by your doctor taking photographs as the dye passes through your eye and blood vessels in your retina. Any abnormal blood vessels leaking fluid or blood under the retina would show up as bright spots on an OCT scan, signalling wet macular degeneration.

Wet AMD (wet macular degeneration) is less prevalent but more severe. It often results in sudden vision loss when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak fluid into its central field of vision, creating distortion. If wet AMD is suspected, immediate attention must be taken as changes can happen quickly and frequently happen all at once. Treatment options available to limit vision loss include medical and laser procedures.

A blind spot.

Blind spots occur due to damage to your macula, part of the retina in the back of your eye which allows fine details to be seen when looking directly forward. When this portion is damaged, visual signals sent from it to your brain become inaccessible – leading to blind spots in central vision.

Damage to the macula cannot be repaired on its own and, over time, your central vision may become impaired; however, peripheral (side) vision typically remains unchanged; for instance if you can still read numbers off a clock but not its hands, that indicates your peripheral vision hasn’t been affected by macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration comes in two varieties – dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration occurs when yellow deposits, called drusen, form underneath the retina and cause thinning of retinal tissue and eventual loss of central vision without leading to complete blindness. Wet macular degeneration is more severe and occurs when new blood vessels form abnormally beneath the retina that leak blood and fluid into your macula, disrupting its functionality resulting in loss of central vision with accompanying symptoms like wavy or distorted straight lines, dark patches in your center of vision difficulty recognizing faces etc.

If you recognize any of these symptoms, make an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. Early detection is key to slowing the progression of macular degeneration.

There are a few treatments that may help slow macular degeneration’s progress, including: