The macula of your retina collects detailed images and provides your central, or straight ahead vision. AMD damages this area of cells that collect these details, leading to gradual loss of central vision over time.

Dry macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most prevalent forms of AMD, often manifesting itself with blurred or hazy vision as well as straight lines appearing bent.

Blurred or hazy vision

Macular degeneration often results in blurry or hazy vision due to retinal damage caused by macular degeneration, and specifically its effect on the macula, responsible for central vision. Degradation or breakdown of this area allows fine details to be seen clearly allowing people to read, drive and recognize faces and colors without difficulty; when its health worsens it becomes harder for you to see clearly and may cause the loss of certain activities such as driving and reading.

Macular degeneration usually only impacts the central portion of your retina and does not interfere with side or peripheral vision. At first, macular degeneration’s effects are generally gradual – often people only notice their vision has become slightly blurrier over time. But as time progresses, its pace becomes faster until ultimately leading to permanent loss of central vision.

Macular degeneration typically takes the form of dry macular degeneration, which involves the gradual thinning or degradation of retina due to abnormal yellow deposits called drusen under the retina.

Ten percent of cases involve wet macular degeneration (Wet AMD), an aggressive form of macular degeneration. Its symptoms include blurred or distorted central vision, dark areas in the center of your visual field and distortion of straight objects. Furthermore, this condition often involves abnormal blood vessels under the retina which leak and leak more and erode away at macula, eventually blurring and distorting vision altogether. Early diagnosis increases chances that you can retain some central vision.

Difficulty reading

The macula is a small area at the center of your retina that provides central vision – sharp, straight-ahead vision you need for reading, driving, and seeing fine details of faces and objects. When macular degeneration sets in, however, your central vision may become clouded or fogged up and difficulty reading may arise – this should be taken as an indicator that an eye exam should be scheduled immediately.

Macular degeneration’s early stages may go undetected by you, with only small yellow deposits known as drusen appearing under the retina as symptoms. While individual drusen don’t cause vision loss, having too many or large ones could accelerate progression of disease progression and result in vision loss.

At a dilated eye exam, your doctor will use various tools to examine your eyes in order to detect macular degeneration. He or she will look out for shadowy areas in your central vision as well as any characteristic waviness or fuzziness in straight lines that indicates macular degeneration. An Amsler grid chart may also help detect such symptoms. Injection of fluorescein dye into veins in your arm could help identify this hazy area and highlight blood vessels within your retina.

Wet macular degeneration is less frequent but can lead to more serious vision loss than its dry counterpart. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and begin leaking fluid and blurring your central vision. If you suspect wet macular degeneration, it’s vital that you visit a physician immediately. They can prescribe medications or laser treatment that can slow its progress while eating a diet rich in lutein and zeaxanthin can also protect vision. Antioxidants that may help lower your risk of macular degeneration are found naturally in foods like green leafy vegetables, brussels sprouts, collard greens and raw spinach – however nutritional supplements containing these vitamins are also available to purchase.

Decreased vision in one eye

Macular degeneration causes central vision to blur, darken or distort while your peripheral vision remains normal. Your eye has an area called the macula that collects images for transmission to your brain for interpretation; when this area of your eye deteriorates, central vision becomes clouded or dark and reading or driving may become challenging as straight objects appear crooked or wavy.

Macular degeneration’s initial stage, dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), occurs when yellow protein clumps called drusen accumulate under your retina. Though they don’t cause symptoms or vision loss, regular comprehensive dilated eye exams will allow your doctor to detect this form of AMD at its earliest stages and take necessary measures accordingly.

Macular degeneration typically progresses slowly at first and only 10% of individuals go on to develop its more serious wet form, where abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina and leak fluid or blood into the eye, rapidly diminishing vision more quickly than with dry macular degeneration – often times rapidly and suddenly.

Studies have demonstrated the power of eating a diet rich in certain vitamins and minerals to slow macular degeneration progression. These antioxidants include lutein and zeaxanthin; foods rich in these antioxidants include dark leafy greens, kale, and raw spinach as well as nutritional supplements with these antioxidants.

Difficulty recognizing faces or objects

One telltale sign of macular degeneration is having difficulty recognising faces or objects at a distance, due to retinal damage caused by macular degeneration affecting central vision. Due to this damage, fine details like faces or objects at distance become hard to see clearly; driving, reading and threading needles become challenging; but generally do not cause total blindness since only central vision is affected; peripheral or side vision remains normal allowing one to still see edges like clock hands etc.

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness among those aged 50 or above, but its risk can’t be predicted with certainty. Regular eye exams are crucial in monitoring any changes to your vision. Your eye doctor will perform tests to check your central vision by having you look at an Amsler grid; any time that straight lines seem wavy or dark spots appear at the center, this could indicate wet macular degeneration.

Wet age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is less frequent than its dry counterpart, yet more serious vision loss occurs as abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula and leak fluid or blood. When this happens, central vision becomes blurred or distorted resulting in blurry or distorted areas being visible to you. Treatments available include anti-angiogenic medications which stop these blood vessel growth; surgical procedures may also offer relief. It is essential that when these symptoms appear that treatment begins quickly so as to halt further vision loss from occurring further along. If this form of AMD presents itself, visit your physician immediately so treatment can begin and start slow down its progress further down.

A blind spot

Macular degeneration patients frequently develop blind spots at the centre of their vision that make it hard to see objects directly in front of them, like faces, words on pages or flower petals. These black, gray or distorted spots, known as scotomas, gradually limit daily tasks such as driving, reading or recognising faces.

Macular degeneration often only reduces central vision; side or peripheral vision remains unaffected, which allows people to continue performing many of the activities that were always enjoyed before. To protect eyes from harmful sunlight exposure it is wise to wear sunglasses and hats with visors as protective measures.

Blind spots are regions in our visual field where there are no light-sensitive cells to transmit information to the brain, often overlapped by areas visible with both eyes, resulting in them appearing “filled in”.

If you have macular degeneration, the best thing you can do for your sight is to protect it as much as possible when at home or work. Avoid using electronics like computers and mobile phones in direct sunlight; ensure good lighting in both locations; invest in low vision aids like magnifiers and electronic readers that will assist your daily tasks; Lastly consider low vision aids to assist with daily activities.

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness among adults aged 60 or above, and can be identified by your physician using an Amsler grid or by injecting harmless orange-red dye called fluorescein into an arm vein and taking photographs using optical coherence tomography (OCT). Early diagnosis may help slow its progress.