Signs of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) robs you of your eyesight, and it usually creeps up on you. Dry AMD is the most common, and it progresses slowly. It is treated with diet and nutrition. Wet AMD progresses very fast, but it can be halted with laser surgery. If you are experiencing signs of AMD, talk to your ophthalmologist right away. There are steps that you can take to prevent further vision loss and possibly even see improvement.

AMD Symptoms

AMD affects your central vision, but not your peripheral vision. Common AMD symptoms include:

• Things that are straight look wavy. This can include the edges of walls and lines on the road.
• You have trouble making out faces until people get very close to you.
• You have trouble focusing on things when you look directly at them, but everything around them seems clear.
• It takes longer for your eyes to adjust to indoor lighting when you walk inside on bright days.
• You need increasingly brighter light to read, sew and do other fine work.
• The world looks less colorful.
• Your need for reading glasses is getting worse, and you are also having trouble seeing things that are far away.
• The picture on the TV is harder to see and just doesn’t look as good.
• Faces look distorted, and you may even think you are hallucinating.
• Objects look tiny or as if they are much farther away than they really are.
• You see shadows, dark spots, or have holes in the center of your vision.

If you are experiencing signs of AMD, an ophthalmologist can help. AMD is progressive, so the sooner you do something the more vision you can retain. Please contact an experienced ophthalmologist right away.