The macula is responsible for central vision. As it’s sensitive to straight lines, if straight lines seem wavy or missing it could be an early indicator of macular degeneration.

AMD results from the degradation or breakdown of your macula, leading to blurriness or dark spots in central vision without impacting peripheral or side vision. Symptoms usually include yellow deposits under your retina known as drusen which typically first manifest themselves.

Blurred or hazy vision

Blurry or hazy vision is one of the telltale signs of macular degeneration, as macular degeneration damages the macula – the part responsible for central or detail vision – which makes vision blurry or hazy. Most people with macular degeneration only experience mild blurriness at early stages; nonetheless, regular dilated eye exams should be scheduled to ensure your doctor can detect any early warning signs before they worsen further.

On the bright side, there’s good news: macular degeneration can be stopped in its tracks by eating a diet rich in lutein and zeaxanthin – two antioxidants found in many fruits and vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens as well as nutritional supplements.

Blurred or hazy vision may also be an indicator of more serious medical conditions, including stroke or brain tumors, which should always be taken seriously and treated promptly.

Macular degeneration is an eye disease that slowly destroys your retina, the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of your eyes. Over time, macular degeneration can lead to permanent loss of vision – it’s one of the leading causes of blindness among adults over 50.

Macular degeneration comes in two forms, dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration is more prevalent and occurs as tiny yellow protein deposits known as drusen form beneath your retina. Wet macular degeneration becomes more serious as abnormal blood vessels begin leaking fluid or blood into your retina causing leakage into your macular degeneration causing faster vision loss than its dry counterpart.

Dry macular degeneration cannot be cured, but you can delay its progression by having regular dilated eye exams with your eye doctor. They will use an Amsler grid chart to detect changes to your macula and offer other tests like fluorescein angiography which involves injecting yellow dye through the arm into blood vessels of your retina while taking photographs as it passes.

Difficulty reading or driving

Macular degeneration occurs when the retina in the back of your eye begins to degenerate, leading to central vision loss that makes reading or driving difficult. It is one of the leading causes of severe blindness among people over 55; however, unlike its name suggests it doesn’t cause complete blindness as your peripheral (side) vision remains undamaged; so if you are having difficulty seeing, speaking with a physician may help immensely. If this sounds familiar then please see your physician as soon as possible for diagnosis and treatment options.

Macular degeneration often manifests itself through blurry or hazy vision, caused by light-sensitive cells in your macula becoming damaged and no longer functioning correctly. If left untreated, straight lines may appear wavy or bent while faces and objects become harder to recognize; ultimately making color identification even harder.

Your doctor can detect macular degeneration through a visual exam of both eyes. He or she will look for symptoms, such as drusen and pigment clumping under the retina, that point toward this disease. They may also ask you to examine an Amsler grid, an array of straight lines resembling a checkerboard pattern; if one or more straight lines appear wavy it’s an indicator of advanced macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration occurs in two forms, dry and wet. The former forms when yellow protein deposits called drusen form under the retina, leading to thinned out and dry macula that leads to blurred or distorted vision. Meanwhile, wet forms occur less commonly but more significantly; abnormal blood vessels start growing underneath it that leak fluid or blood into macula resulting in blurred or distorted vision.

Dry macular degeneration has no cure; however, treatments exist that may slow its progress and improve vision, such as laser coagulation and medication. Wet macular degeneration poses more danger as abnormal blood vessels can leak fluid and blood into the macula causing permanent blindness; however, newer therapies show promise in slowing its progression and improving visual impairment for those living with it.

Difficulty recognizing faces or objects

Aging can result in some central vision loss, but with proper treatment you can stop further decline. Dry AMD is the most prevalent form of age-related macular degeneration, in which the retina at the back of your eye – responsible for fine detail and color vision – becomes thinner with age. Thinning occurs as a result of yellow deposits called drusen that form gradually over time, typically without noticeable effect to peripheral (outer) vision, while central vision gradually blurs over time. Unfortunately, it can sometimes progress to become the more serious wet form, where abnormal blood vessels begin to form beneath the macula and leak or break off, leading to rapid loss of central vision.

Wet macular degeneration symptoms vary, from straight lines appearing wavy or having a dark spot grow larger over time, to distortion of straight lines and poor color vision, all without any pain being felt by sufferers.

Even if you do not yet show symptoms of macular degeneration, regular eye exams should still be undertaken for your own wellbeing. Your eye doctor can use an Amsler grid chart to monitor central vision changes. In certain instances, they may administer an orange-red dye which travels through your arm vein and into blood vessels in your retina in order to detect whether your dry macular degeneration has progressed into wet form of the disease.

Hereditary prosopagnosia, more prevalent among women than men, causes difficulty with recognising faces; however, most hereditary prosopagnosics do not experience problems recognising objects or scenes outside the realm of faces.

Visit your eye doctor for a comprehensive dilated eye exam to detect macular degeneration early. A fundus photo can show any small blood vessels associated with wet macular degeneration; and treatments like injections or photodynamic therapy could prevent its progress and stop it worsening over time.

Difficulty recognizing colors

As the disease advances, it may alter color vision. At this stage, the macula begins to degenerate and no longer send clear images to the brain, which in turn creates difficulties recognizing colors and details of faces as well as difficulty with peripheral or side vision. Although it can reduce independence and quality of life over time, total blindness usually does not result.

If you or a loved one experience any of the symptoms listed above, it is vital that they visit Dr. Richlin OD & Associates immediately to determine whether it’s early or late macular degeneration. If it is early macular degeneration there may be therapies available which could slow its progress and prevent further loss of vision.

Macular degeneration occurs slowly over time, and its early stages typically involve deposits known as drusen under the retina that indicate risk of the advanced form. If these drusen grow larger or there is evidence of new abnormal blood vessels under the retina (wet macular degeneration), then sudden and rapid vision loss could occur.

Wet macular degeneration’s primary symptoms are distortion and waviness of straight lines, caused by fluid leakage from abnormal blood vessels located beneath the retina that damage macula cells. Unlike dry macular degeneration, which cannot be effectively treated through medication alone, wet macular degeneration can be managed effectively using drugs which inhibit abnormal vessel growth while stopping leakage of fluid into macula cells.

An annual eye exam can help protect your vision, particularly if you’re over 50. Dilated eye exams can detect early-stage macular degeneration when symptoms may still be unnoticed and treatable with laser therapy or other treatment options. Visit our Beverly Hills, CA, office to get started or request an appointment online; for your own peace of mind we also offer at-home monitoring kits to track central vision as well as results of Amsler grid tests.