Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease that occurs with aging and can blur one’s central vision. It happens when damage to the macula (the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision) occurs. The macula is part of the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye).
Though AMD doesn’t cause complete blindness, losing your central vision can make it harder to see faces, read, drive, or do close-up work like cooking or fixing things around the house.
AMD happens slowly in some people and faster in others. In an early AMD, one may not notice vision loss for a long time. Hence, it’s important to get regular eye exams to find out the presence of AMD.
AMD is of two types, dry and wet. Most people who get AMD have the dry type which is also called atrophic AMD.
Dry or Atrophic AMD
In this case, the macula gets thinner with age. Dry AMD occurs in 3 stages: early, intermediate, and late and progresses slowly over several years. Though there’s no specific treatment for late dry AMD, one can find ways to make the most of the remaining vision. And if the late dry AMD is in only 1 eye, you can take steps to protect your other eye.
Wet or Advanced Neovascular AMD
This is a less common type of late AMD that causes faster vision loss. A dry AMD can turn into a wet AMD, but a wet AMD always happens in a late stage. In this case, abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye and damage the macula. But the good news is that treatment options are available for wet AMD.
Since dry AMD happens in 3 stages, symptoms usually get worse over time. Early dry AMD doesn’t cause any symptoms and even in intermediate dry AMD, some people still have no symptoms. A few others may notice mild symptoms, like mild blurriness in their central vision or trouble seeing in low lighting.
In late AMD (wet or dry type), people notice that straight lines start to look wavy or crooked and feel a blurry area near the centre of their vision. Over time, this blurry area can get bigger or one may even start to see blank spots. Colours may also seem less bright than before and can also cause trouble seeing in low lighting.
Straight lines looking wavy are a major warning sign for late AMD.
The risk for AMD increases as one gets older. People aged 55 and older are more likely to have AMD. The risk is also higher for people who:
How to lower the risk for AMD?
If you have doubts that you might be at risk for AMD because of your age, family history, or other factors, it’s important to get regular eye exams.
Consult the specialist at our Ophthalmology department to know how often you need to get eye exams. Especially because early AMD doesn’t have any symptoms, don’t wait for your vision to change!
You can lower your risk of AMD (or slow vision loss from AMD) by making these healthy choices:
Our eye doctors can look for age-related macular degeneration when you see them for a routine eye exam and do a dilated eye exam. An early diagnosis helps to start treatment that may delay some symptoms or make them less severe.
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