About 80% of those diagnosed with AMD are living with the dry form. Here, the macular tissue gradually thins with age and tiny protein clumps known as drusen form over time, gradually diminishing central vision over time.

Under wet form of AMD, abnormal blood vessels form under the retina and leak blood or fluid into it. Your doctor can identify this with an eye exam using slit lamp examination, optical coherence tomography or fluorescein angiography.

Dry AMD

Dry AMD occurs when the macula becomes thinner with age and protein clumps called drusen accumulate beneath the retina, slowly dimming central vision over time. Unfortunately, there is no cure for dry AMD; however our retina specialists can monitor its progression and offer recommendations to slow it down such as eating healthily, exercising regularly and protecting eyes from UV rays.

Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and release blood and fluid into the macula, leading to permanent scarring and central vision loss. Wet AMD is more serious than dry AMD and progresses more quickly; treatment options for wet AMD include laser surgery; the surgeon directs light beams at leaky vessels to destroy them and may also use laser treatment on them for destruction.

Wet AMD treatment at UT Southwestern uses drugs to lower risk by inhibiting new blood vessel growth. A clinical study showed that patients who received bi-monthly injections of monoclonal antibody anti-VEGF injections were more likely to gain 10 letters on an Amsler grid reading than those not receiving this injection.

Intermediate AMD

At this stage of dry AMD, maculae may begin to thin as protein deposits called drusen form larger. Unlike in its early stage, however, these drusen do not lead to vision loss at this stage; typically people notice difficulty adapting from light environments to darker settings as well as straight lines appearing wavy or blurry.

At risk of advanced macular degeneration is large drusen, pigment irregularities and hypo/hyperpigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelial layer (RPE). Your eye professional can diagnose this condition using established tests of visual acuity administered by examiners who are unaware of treatment assignments; or an OCT to obtain detailed images of both back of retina and RPE.

those with intermediate AMD can track changes to their vision by regularly viewing an Amsler grid – an easy test which shows whether straight lines become wavy or distorted – using Foresee Home monitoring device.

If left untreated, intermediate AMD can advance into wet macular degeneration, in which fluid from leaking blood vessels accumulates and forms a scar over the macula and causes rapid vision loss. With wet AMD, your eye doctor can treat the vision loss by injecting an anti-VEGF drug which reduces abnormal blood vessels while slowing their leakage; laser surgery may be beneficial as a laser beam destroys those leaky blood vessels directly.

Advanced AMD

At its advanced stage, AMD can cause central vision to blur or distort, making reading or driving increasingly challenging. Your eye doctor can provide assistance by using various treatment strategies to assist in managing this loss of sight.

Advanced macular degeneration comes in two varieties, atrophic and exudative. With atrophic degeneration, photoreceptor cells that detect light have been lost from retinal pigment epithelium layers and outer retina layers; with exudative degeneration occurring when new abnormal blood vessels grow underneath retina, leaking fluid or blood into macula tissue and damaging macula cells.

Ten percent of people living with macular degeneration are suffering from wet AMD, which is more serious. Here, abnormal blood vessels form at the back of your eye and leak fluid or blood into the center of the macula, creating blurring or distortion to your central vision.

Drugs used to inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth may help slow and reverse wet AMD development. Such therapies, known as anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies, include the new medication called LUCENTIS which works by binding factors that trigger formation of abnormal blood vessels and blocking them, leading to stabilization or improvement of vision in over 95% of eyes treated and even improving vision in some instances.

Symptoms

Macular degeneration causes central vision to gradually diminish over time, making reading, driving and seeing fine details such as faces more difficult. Peripheral (side) vision remains normal during AMD; however, central vision may worsen with age resulting in blurry or blank spots within our central field of vision in later stages. AMD usually progresses slowly without noticeable symptoms in its early stages; however in later stages symptoms can include wavy lines and blank spots in central vision.

Dry AMD is the most prevalent form of macular degeneration (AMD). This form occurs when macula thins with age and yellow deposits called drusen accumulate beneath the retina. Dry AMD can progress into wet macular degeneration – an uncommon yet serious form in which abnormal blood vessels grow under retina, leaking blood and fluid onto retina, damaging retinal tissue and leading to faster central vision loss than dry AMD.

As part of regular eye care visits to detect changes in your vision, regular appointments with an eye care professional are paramount. Your provider may use drops to dilate, or widen, your pupils before inspecting for signs of macular degeneration in your back eyes. They may even perform an Amsler grid test which helps detect early signs of wet AMD by showing you a series of black lines arranged like graph lines on an Amsler grid test chart.

Diagnosis

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that attacks the macula, part of your retina located at the back of your eye, and causes central vision to blur over time. You may still be able to detect details in peripheral vision; however, reading, driving and recognising faces become harder over time. There are two forms of AMD: dry and wet.

Ninety percent of those affected with macular degeneration have the dry form. In this type, retinal pigment epithelium thins out and yellow deposits called drusen appear under the retina – these deposits break down light-sensitive cells within the macula, leading to gradual vision loss over time that most don’t notice until it’s too late.

About 10% of those suffering from AMD have the wet form, in which abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina and begin leaking blood and fluid, leading to more rapid and severe vision loss than with dry AMD.

Zen Eye Institute’s ophthalmologists can diagnose macular degeneration by taking an in-depth examination of both eyes. An instrument will then measure your central vision. Furthermore, they may ask you to view an Amsler grid chart; if any lines appear wavy or missing on it it may indicate AMD as it’s important to get treatment ASAP.

Treatment

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which attacks the retina (the paper-thin tissue lining the back of your eye), affects only your central vision and damages photoreceptor cells in the macula (central part of retina) to cause distortion or blank spots; peripheral (side) vision remains unaffected and you can continue driving, reading and performing many tasks unimpeded by AMD. Left untreated however, AMD can progress into wet form and lead to rapid loss of sight unless treated.

Wet macular degeneration cannot be reversed and is caused by abnormal blood vessels growing under the retina that leak fluids and substances underneath, creating scarring on the macula which leads to rapid vision loss over time. There is no effective treatment available to combat wet AMD.

Eye doctors can detect wet AMD through a regular eye exam known as a dilated eye examination. At this examination, eye drops are used to dilate your pupils before shining light into your eyes so as to look for any damage, including abnormal blood vessels on the retina.

One of the best ways to maintain healthy eyesight is having regular eye exams with an ophthalmologist if you are over 60, especially if your vision changes quickly. An eye doctor can detect any changes early and offer treatment recommendations; you may also help slow disease progression by eating a diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals and wearing UV protective sunglasses.