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What are the Symptoms of Macular Degeneration?

What are the Symptoms of Macular Degeneration?

Wet AMD

Wet AMD

Blurry vision, including difficulty seeing faces, can be more than just "getting old." It could be a sign of age-related macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration is the term doctors use to describe a group of eye diseases and conditions that affect the macula, the part of the retina that provides us with central vision. Central vision is what we use to see detail and color and to perform many tasks that we typically take for granted, such as reading, driving and recognizing faces or objects directly in front of us.

The most common kind of macular degeneration is age related. The older we are, the more likely we are to have it. Age related macular degeneration (AMD) can be further categorized into two types: "dry" and "wet." Both dry and wet age related macular degeneration can lead to deterioration of central vision. However, in general, the two types differ in how quickly symptoms develop and how severe they are. The dry type is far more common, but it tends to progress more slowly. The wet type is less common, but it tends to cause more severe deterioration more rapidly. For reasons that are still not fully understood, dry AMD can turn into wet age related macular degeneration at any time.

Should I Have Known I Had Age Related Macular Degeneration?

It is important to recognize the symptoms of macular degeneration because early detection and treatment provide the best chances for preserving as much vision as possible. However, recognizing the symptoms can be difficult for several reasons. First, neither type of AMD causes pain. Second, many people experiencing symptoms of macular degeneration blame them on "old age." Third, it is common for AMD to affect one eye before the other. In this situation, the unaffected eye can compensate for the affected eye, disguising deteriorating vision. Problems with central vision would be much more obvious if both eyes were affected at the same time and to the same extent.

When Should I Consult an Eye Doctor?

After you have been diagnosed with dry or wet age related macular degeneration, it is still important to stay on the alert for changes in your vision. Even if you have received treatment for wet AMD several times, problems can come back. In addition, as previously mentioned, the dry type can turn into the more aggressive wet type at any time.

Consult your eye doctor immediately if:

  • straight lines, such as the edge of a table or top of a fence, look wavy or crooked
  • words in a book or newspaper look blurrier than they did in the recent past
  • objects look farther away or smaller than usual
  • you suddenly lose central vision
  • a blurry spot, dark spot, shadow or lines appear in your central vision
  • you have trouble seeing something that is a similar color to the background, such as milk in a white cup
  • you have difficulty telling one color from another
  • you have more trouble than usual adjusting when you enter a room or area with dim lighting
  • you notice that you need more light for reading and other up-close tasks
  • you stop being able to see faces clearly.

What Can I Do to Help Me Monitor My Vision?

At home, between visits to the eye doctor, you should use what is called an Amsler Grid to check whether your dry or wet age related macular degeneration is causing new or recurrent symptoms. Amsler Grids are fairly simple. They look like the graph paper that math students or architects might use, with the addition of a dot in the middle. They are not very large and are often printed on paper or cardboard. You can also find them, and can use them, on the Internet. To use an Amsler Grid to check for changes in symptoms of macular degeneration:

  • if you use glasses to read, put them on
  • in a well-lit room, hold the grid 12-15 inches in front of your face (or stick it to a wall, mirror or refrigerator)
  • cover one eye
  • stare directly at the dot in the center of the grid with the uncovered eye
  • while still focusing on the dot, notice the rest of the grid
  • consult your eye doctor immediately if all of the lines on the grid do not look straight, or if any areas of the grid look dark, blurred or distorted
  • Repeat the steps using the other eye.

While the Amsler Grid is not as reliable or precise as the other tests your eye doctor can perform, it would be a mistake not to use it to help you. After all, it is your sight that could be at stake.

Hope for the future? New clinical trials.

NeoVista, Inc. is a company that is developing an intraocular epiretinal radiation device intended for the treatment of the wet form of age-related macular degeneration. If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating in the CABERNET Trial, please follow the link below:

Learn more about the CABERNET Trial

 

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