Macular degeneration is a disease that can lead to various degrees of blindness. It begins when tiny protein clumps called drusen form beneath the retina.

Drusen can affect one or both eyes, leading to symptoms like loss of central vision. Therefore, it’s essential that you regularly use an Amsler grid and report any changes or variations with your physician.

1. Blurred or wavy vision

Macular degeneration often begins with blurry or wavy vision as its first symptoms, caused by weakening of the macula, the small central portion of retina that detects detail. Macular degeneration has long been recognized as one of the main causes of blindness for those over 65; however, even at its most advanced stages it only ever affects central vision rather than side or peripheral vision. If you experience changes to your eyesight it’s best to seek medical advice immediately so as to identify early on any condition and obtain appropriate treatments before any further damage occurs. If any issues with vision arise contact Dr Richlin ODS& Associates for an eye examination in order to recognize early on any symptoms and get treatment before worsening takes hold.

Macular degeneration most often takes the form of dry macular degeneration, in which parts of the macula thin with age and small yellow protein deposits known as drusen form underneath the retina. At first this may not pose much of a problem; however, as more drusen develop, your vision may decrease significantly over time.

Drusen are yellow deposits located beneath the retina that appear yellow in color. While not necessarily indicative of macular degeneration, when they become larger or increase in number they increase your risk for AMD. There are different types of drusen: soft drusen, hard drusen, and optic disc drusen each associated with different risks for macular degeneration.

Early stages of macular degeneration may not result in noticeable vision changes; however, if more than a few large drusen are detected by your doctor they could likely diagnose you with intermediate macular degeneration and possibly pigment changes on the retina.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels form and leak blood or fluid under the retina, scarring it. As new blood vessels appear under your retina and leak blood or fluid under it, distortion or blurriness occurs in central vision. Although less common but more dangerous than its dry counterpart, if wet macular degeneration has taken hold in your eye(s), treatment must be sought immediately to stop its progression.

2. Difficulty reading

Macular degeneration is a degeneration of the retina, the layer at the back of your eye that sends light signals from your retina to your brain to allow vision. If advanced macular degeneration progresses further, damage to the macula can occur and may lead to blurriness or dark areas appearing at the center of your vision – making reading and other tasks that require central vision more challenging than usual; it does not impact peripheral (side) vision though.

There are two forms of macular degeneration: dry and wet. With the former, deposits known as drusen form beneath the retina. While these typically do not cause vision loss directly, they increase risk for advanced macular degeneration; those with significant or increasing numbers of drusen may have an increased chance of progressing to wet form macular degeneration.

Wet AMD may be less prevalent, but more severe. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak blood or fluid into your macula, damaging central vision. Unfortunately, there is no treatment available for wet macular degeneration; so you will need to closely monitor any changes in your vision over time.

Your eye care professional can assess for symptoms of macular degeneration using a comprehensive dilated eye exam, using dilation drops and an instrument called an ophthalmoscope to examine the back of your eye – including retina and macula – using an instrument known as an ophthalmoscope. If they suspect optic disc drusen, additional imaging tests will also be administered to capture images of what lies within.

Hard drusen are untreatable; however, if they progress to soft drusen there are certain medications which may slow the progression of AMD into wet macular degeneration. Some include combinations of vitamins C, E and zinc as well as anti-VEGF medication which prevents blood vessels from leaking. Regular exercise, healthy diet and not smoking may reduce the risk of macular degeneration.

3. Loss of central vision

Macular degeneration affects only central vision and usually does not impact side or peripheral vision, although driving, reading and seeing details of faces may become challenging due to macular degeneration. You may still enjoy activities such as walking, cooking and going on outings.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among adults over 50 and results when light-sensing cells in the macula begin to degenerate and stop working properly, eventually leading to age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). There are two forms of macular degeneration – dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration occurs early, when yellow deposits under the retina known as drusen gradually form and eventually lead to blurry central vision. Wet macular degeneration occurs less commonly and is characterised by abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid or blood beneath retina causing blurring central vision. Wet macular degeneration occurs less frequently and involves abnormal blood vessels which leak fluid or blood from under retina.

An eye care professional is essential in monitoring central vision. An ophthalmoscope allows them to examine the macula using special imaging software that allows for enhanced viewing of areas behind the eye, such as hard or soft drusen or soft drusen formation. Individuals at increased risk for developing Choroidal Neovascular Membranes (CNVM), an advanced form of wet macular degeneration where new blood vessel growth leak fluid underneath retina, leading to rapid central vision loss and eventually legal blindness in America.

Multiple factors can impact the severity of macular degeneration, including age, genetics, smoking habits, family history, race/gender/diet and nutrition. According to studies, certain nutrients such as vitamins C & E, zinc and lutein can slow progression – either through diet or multivitamin supplements. Furthermore, special procedures like optical coherence tomography angiography or dye assisted angiography can detect abnormal blood vessels beneath your retina.

4. Difficulty driving

Macular degeneration affects central vision by damaging the macula, which receives light signals and sends them directly to the brain for vision processing. If left untreated, macular degeneration will eventually result in the loss of central vision which makes reading, driving, or performing any task requiring visual clarity difficult or impossible altogether. As it’s progressive in nature, early diagnosis and treatment is key – especially as symptoms are often mild and can easily go undetected; so regular eye exams with your optometrist is paramount in order to catch any possible issues before progress occurs further down the line.

Dry macular degeneration (AMD) is the most frequent form of macular degeneration, in which the macula thins and tiny yellow deposits known as drusen form on its surface. Drusen themselves do not cause vision loss, but as their size and number increases they indicate an increased risk for wet macular degeneration – an advanced form of AMD.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels form underneath areas weakened by dry AMD. These blood vessels leak blood and fluid into the retina, causing permanent blind spots over time. Most cases of macular degeneration begin in dry form before progressing to wet AMD.

Macular degeneration often begins without noticeable symptoms, with only an eye doctor being able to provide definitive confirmation that you have this condition. Over time however, patients may notice a blurriness in their central vision due to macular degeneration progressing further.

If you have a family history of macular degeneration, are over 60 or have diabetes, it is imperative that you visit an eye doctor regularly for exams. Your eye doctor will inspect the retina of your eyes to check for signs of macular degeneration as part of this examination process and may even suggest viewing an Amsler grid which helps identify early-stage macular degeneration.