Home > macular degeneration symptoms

Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Some of the most common macular degeneration symptoms include seeing shadows in the central vision or experiencing unusually distorted or blurry vision in the central area of focus. Straight lines can appear crooked or wavy, and it can be very hard or impossible to see fine details. With time, these macular degeneration symptoms can worsen until sufferers are unable to drive, read, or perform many daily tasks necessary to maintain independence.

Unfortunately, early macular degeneration symptoms can be hard to identify for two main reasons. The first is that the disease usually has a very slow progression, and the second is that it mostly affects people over the age of 60. The age factor is important because many people at that age have already experienced a slow decline in visual acuity and may not immediately realize a degenerative disease is to blame for their increasingly fuzzy vision.

The positive news is that most eye doctors understand the increased macular degeneration risk factors for older patients and can run a series of simple tests to find out if the disease is affecting their vision. One of the most common macular degeneration tests is called the Amsler grid test. When a patient who has macular degeneration symptoms looks at the grid, which is similar to a checkerboard with a black dot in the center, the lines in the center will be wavy or blurred with shadowy areas at the center.

After the first macular degeneration symptoms have been identified, an eye exam can be performed to diagnose whether the macular degeneration is the 'wet' type or 'dry' type. The dry type is characterized by deterioration or thinning of the eye lining near the macula. When this happens, the damaged tissue will deposit in the back of the eye forming yellowish spots (called drusen) - these are telltale dry macular degeneration symptoms that can be clearly identified by an eye doctor.

The blurred vision caused by wet macular degeneration is created through a different process. It's due to abnormal blood vessel growth beneath the retina that leaks blood and fluid. The fluid that leaks from these vessels can permanently damage and scar light sensitive cells creating permanent blind spots in central vision.

Anyone who is aging or has macular degeneration risk factors, which include being a smoker, having high blood pressure or having an immediate family member with the disease, should be on the lookout for early macular degeneration symptoms. The sooner the disease is caught the higher the chances that preventative measures or macular degeneration treatment can be used to slow its progression.

To learn more about macular degeneration symptoms, risk factors or treatment options, you should schedule an appointment with your eye care physician.

Macular Degeneration gene identified that causes Blindness