Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Macular Degeneration: Introduction

Macular Degeneration or age related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye condition that affects older people, generally those above fifty years of age. The affected person suffers a loss of vision in center of the eye (area of the eye known as macula). This results from substantial damage to the retina that causes blurring (of the central vision).

What are the Macular Degeneration Symptoms?

There are two types of macular degeneration wet and dry. In the dry form of macular degeneration your central vision gets slightly blurred (both near and far). Although a person suffering with this condition can carry out his daily activities to a fair extent, it may become very difficult to read or recognize faces.

Some symptoms and signs of macular degeneration:

Symptoms for dry macular degeneration can become evident when objects start to appear hazy or become shadowy, and this disability can grow as the disease progresses. You may have blind spots, followed by more difficulty in seeing color and fine detail.

If you need more light than normal at the time of reading, you find it difficult to read text as it appears blurry or if colors don’t appear as vibrant, you possibly have macular degeneration (dry type).

It is possible that only one of your eyes is suffering from dry macular degeneration. In such a case, your normal eye will make up (compensate) for the loss of vision or blurring. Hence, it will only be later that you are able to notice any symptoms of macular degeneration.

In wet macular degeneration (more severe than the dry type of this condition), there are other symptoms that add up to those already stated. This includes macular degeneration signs such as when straight lines start to appear as crooked or wavy.

Central vision loss occurs rapidly and is possible within a few days or weeks following quick progression of the disease. Importantly, there is a significant loss of ability to see objects in fine detail or color. Nonetheless, the peripheral vision (outer vision or side vision, as opposed to center vision) of such a person does not get affected.

Visit an eye care specialist if you doubt having any of the above macular degeneration symptoms for proper diagnosis and treatment of this eye problem.