About 10% of cases of ARMD involve abnormal blood vessels developing underneath the retina (wet AMD). When these blood vessels bleed or leak fluids into the macula area, distortion or blind spots may result.

Wet eye macular degeneration symptoms usually only impact central vision; side or peripheral vision typically remains unchanged. Your doctor can detect this condition using an Amsler grid and other tests to examine your eyes.

1. Blurred or distorted vision

Macular degeneration typically affects the center of retina, or macula. When this happens, central vision becomes clouded or distorted and peripheral or side vision remains unaffected – however this condition makes tasks such as driving or reading challenging and can restrict color vision which makes recognizing faces difficult and seeing fine details impossible.

Macular degeneration most frequently takes the form of dry AMD, in which tiny yellow or white deposits known as drusen accumulate under the retina and cause it to thin over time. People affected by this form of macular degeneration experience gradual central vision loss while keeping peripheral and color vision.

Wet eye macular degeneration is less prevalent but much faster and severe vision loss than its counterpart, age-related macular degeneration. This form occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the macula and leak fluid that damages it; people suffering from wet eye macular degeneration could potentially lose central vision very rapidly if left untreated.

Early detection is key to mitigating AMD vision loss. Your eye care provider may use an Amsler grid chart to assess your eyes and detect changes to central vision, with straight lines spaced at regular intervals that represent central vision changes. Your doctor will ask you to focus on one dot from 1 foot away and notice if any of the lines become crooked or have small blind spots that require extra scrutiny.

Your chances of macular degeneration can be significantly decreased by eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and omega-3 fatty acids from fish. Supplements containing antioxidants, zinc, and copper may help slow its progress while anti-VEGF treatments block certain chemicals which promote the formation of new blood vessels beneath your macula and may slow wet AMD development as well.

2. Straight lines appear crooked

Your central area of vision may become distorted as abnormal blood vessels associated with wet eye macular degeneration leak fluid and damage your vision. If this occurs to you, see an eye doctor immediately to ensure optimal vision health and vision therapy solutions are in place.

Wet macular degeneration (also referred to as neovascular AMD or exudative AMD) occurs when new blood vessels form beneath the retina, leaking blood and fluid that damages the macula, leading to blurry or discolored images, distortion of straight lines, color distortions and blind spots in your field of vision. Wet eye macular degeneration accounts for 90% of severe vision losses associated with macular degeneration.

Wet eye macular degeneration often appears more rapidly and more seriously than dry eye macular degeneration due to rapid blood vessel development and subsequent bleeding; this causes fluid build-up underneath the retina that disrupts its function and interferes with macula function.

If diagnosed with wet eye macular degeneration, your eye care specialist may suggest treating the condition using medications, laser therapy and injections in-office for rapid resolution with little downtime involved. These treatments help decrease new blood vessels that form, stop fluid from leaking out and restore vision while slowing further progression of disease progression.

To determine whether wet eye macular degeneration may be present, talk with your eye doctor about conducting a simple test. They can do it during your exam and explain the results; typically they will ask you to look at a checkerboard pattern of squares and straight lines while covering one eye at a time, looking out for any troublemaking centers dots – any failure could indicate wet macular degeneration; other symptoms may include decreased facial or color recognition and sudden loss of central vision.

3. A small blind spot

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina near the macula, potentially leaking and bleeding and leading to rapid vision loss. While less common than dry AMD, wet AMD often progresses more quickly and is more severe.

Early on in dry ARMD, your central vision may become clouded or blurry; however, peripheral (side) vision should still be clear due to how both eyes work together – each sending different visual messages directly to the brain – which allows each eye to compensate for vision loss in one eye using data from both. If a blind spot develops at the center of your vision it is an indicator that you need a comprehensive eye exam with Dr. McMickle as soon as possible.

Scotomas are blind spots that form at the center of one’s field of vision and range from small gray or black spots to dark regions that cover most or all of it. Scotoma are caused by damaged parts of your retina not sending visual information to your brain – this can occur with many diseases and conditions affecting the eyes, such as migraines, glaucoma, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, retinitis pigmentosa or even traumatic brain injury.

To identify your central blind spot, try this exercise: Close your right eye and look at your thumb while slowly moving it left and right. When the thumb disappears from view, that marks your right-eye blind spot; unlike the left-eye version which tends to have more blood vessels present than needed for proper vision development, the right-eye one has less likely blood vessels which means less chance for developing a scotoma (distortion of vision).

Macular degeneration occurs in two forms – dry and wet – and both compromise your central vision while your peripheral vision remains undamaged. There are treatments available for wet macular degeneration which may help slow its progress such as injections, photodynamic therapy and surgical procedures to combat vision loss.

4. A loss of central vision

If your central vision starts to blur or fade, this could be an early indicator of wet eye macular degeneration – an uncommon form of age-related macular degeneration caused by abnormal blood vessels growing beneath the retina near the macula and leaking beneath. Wet eye macular degeneration typically causes distortion or blurriness to central vision as well as straight-ahead loss; however it should not significantly limit fine details or colors.

Wet macular degeneration is an aggressive form of macular degeneration, and can result in faster and more noticeable loss of central vision than its dry counterpart. It occurs when thin tissue called the macula begins to break down, followed by abnormal blood vessels under your retina leaking blood and fluid, blurring your central vision.

As macular degeneration is a serious eye condition that requires immediate treatment from a healthcare professional, it’s crucial to monitor your vision using an Amsler grid and report any changes immediately to an eye care professional. Should any significant alterations in central vision arise, schedule an eye exam immediately – early detection can slow progression of macular degeneration as well as prevent wet forms from developing.

There are various treatments for wet eye macular degeneration available that may slow or even improve vision loss, including medications injected directly into the eye, photodynamic therapy and laser treatments.

Macular degeneration risk reduction begins by adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle, including eating plenty of green and other colorful fruits and vegetables as well as not smoking or spending too much time in direct sunlight. You should also schedule regular dilated eye exams with your eye doctor – particularly if there is a family history of macular degeneration in your family.