There are two main types of age-related macular degeneration:
- Dry form. People with this may have yellow deposits, called drusen, in their macula. A few small drusen may not cause changes in your vision. But as they get bigger and more numerous, they might dim or distort your vision, especially when you read. As the condition gets worse, the light-sensitive cells in your macula get thinner and eventually die. In the atrophic form, you may have blind spots in the center of your vision. As that gets worse, you might lose central vision.
- Wet form. Blood vessels grow from underneath your macula. These blood vessels leak blood and fluid into your retina. Your vision is distorted so that straight lines look wavy. You may also have blind spots and loss of central vision. These blood vessels and their bleeding eventually form a scar, leading to permanent loss of central vision.
Early on, you might not have any noticeable signs of macular degeneration. It might not be diagnosed until it gets worse or affects both eyes.
- Worse or less clear vision. Your vision might be blurry, and it may be hard to read fine print or drive.
- Dark, blurry areas in the center of your vision
- Rarely, worse or different color perception
Click the link below to self test for signs of Macular Degeneration https://opto.ca/sites/default/files/resources/documents/cao_amslergrid_patient_1.pdf
Treatments include:
- Regular monitoring
- Refrain from smoking
- Healthy diet including AREDS 2 Vitamin Supplements
- Referral to a Retina Specialist for eye injections if required