Macular Degeneration (Age-Related Type) (cont.)
Can my lifestyle make a difference?
Your lifestyle can play a role in reducing your risk of developing AMD.
What are the symptoms?
Both dry and wet AMD cause no pain.
For dry AMD: the most common early sign is blurred vision. As fewer cells in
the macula are able to function, people will see details less clearly in front
of them, such as faces or words in a book. Often this blurred vision will go
away in brighter light. If the loss of these light-sensing cells becomes great,
people may see a small—but growing—blind spot in the middle of their field of
vision.
For wet AMD: the classic early symptom is that straight lines appear crooked.
This results when fluid from the leaking blood vessels gathers and lifts the
macula, distorting vision. A small blind spot may also appear in wet AMD,
resulting in loss of one's central vision.
How is AMD detected?
Your eye care professional may suspect AMD if you are over age 60 and have
had recent changes in your central vision. To look for signs of the disease, he
or she will use eye drops to dilate, or enlarge, your pupils. Dilating the
pupils allows your eye care professional to view the back of the eye better.
AMD is detected during a comprehensive eye exam that includes:
- Visual acuity test. This eye chart test measures how well you see at various
distances.
- Dilated eye exam. Drops are placed in your eyes to widen, or dilate,
the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine
your retina and optic nerve for signs of AMD and other eye problems. After the
exam, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.
- Tonometry. An instrument measures the pressure inside the eye. Numbing drops may be applied to
your eye for this test.
Your eye care professional also may do other tests to
learn more about the structure and health of your eye.
During an eye exam, you may be asked to look at an Amsler grid. The pattern
of the grid resembles a checkerboard. You will cover one eye and stare at a
black dot in the center of the grid. While staring at the dot, you may notice
that the straight lines in the pattern appear wavy. You may notice that some of
the lines are missing. These may be signs of AMD.
Do NOT depend on the grid displayed below for any diagnoses-check with your
eye care professional.
If your eye care professional believes you need treatment for wet AMD, he or she may suggest a fluorescein angiogram. In this test, a special dye is injected into your arm. Pictures are taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels in your retina. The test allows your eye care professional to identify any leaking blood vessels and recommend treatment.
Next: How is wet AMD treated? »
- verteporfin-injectable, Visudyne - Consumer information about the medication VERTEPORFIN - INJECTABLE (Visudyne), includes side effects, drug interactions, recommended dosages, and storage information. Read more about the prescription drug VERTEPORFIN - INJECTABLE.
- Visual Field Test - Read about visual field testing and vision tests (Amsler grid, Humphrey-Zeiss and Goldman perimetry tests) for glaucoma and macular degeneration detection.
- Anemia - Read about anemia (low blood cell count, low hemoglobin) causes like iron deficiency, stomach ulcers, medications, colon cancer, trauma, vitamin 12 or folate deficiency, leukemia, myltiple myeloma and more.
Latest Medical News
Eyesight RSS