As a rule, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every one or two years. Your eye doctor can catch developing eye conditions in their early stages when they are still easily manageable. 

 

These conditions include glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). They are more common in people who have a known family history of the disease and are of a certain age. Once diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, you will require more frequent follow-up eye exams.

 

Types of Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration can be wet or dry. While wet macular degeneration is less common than dry macular degeneration, it accounts for 90 percent of legal blindness. Dry AMD precedes wet AMD, making it an advanced type of condition. However, this is not always the case. Dry macular degeneration does not necessarily result in wet macular degeneration.

Early Signs of Macular Disorder

Macular degeneration may not present any symptoms in the early stages. You may first notice gradual or abrupt changes in your vision. Depending on which type of macular degeneration you are experiencing, you may lose your central vision dramatically or gradually. The early warning signs of macular degeneration include:

 

• Deteriorated central vision in one or both eyes
   

• Find it more difficult for your eyes to adjust to low light levels. For instance, walking into a dimly-lit room
   

• Struggling to recognize faces
   

• Optical distortions. You may start seeing straight lines appearing wavy or bent
   

• Amplified blurriness of printed words
   

• Requiring brighter light when doing close-up tasks or reading
   

• Decreased brightness or intensity of colors
   

• A blind spot or well-defined blurry spot in your field of vision
   

• Increased sensitivity to glare
  
   

Diagnosing Macular Degeneration

There are several procedures your eye doctor can use to diagnose macular degeneration. They include:

 

• A dilated eye exam (fundus) - During this procedure, your eye doctor uses an ophthalmoscope. They dilate your eye’s pupil to have a more detailed look at the macula in the back of your eye
   

• Near and distance vision acuity test
   

• Optical coherence tomography - This eye exam helps your doctor have a more detailed look at your macula and its supporting tissue. It gives better, high-definition images of your eye, enabling your eye doctor to make a better diagnosis
  
   

Visit the Doctor

AMD can affect one or both of your eyes. You may not notice the symptoms if it only affects one eye. This is because your good eye may be compensating for the visual change in your affected eye. Additionally, macular degeneration does not affect peripheral vision. 

 

This means it rarely results in complete blindness. But if you notice impairments in your ability to see fine details or colors, you should see a doctor. Also, if there are changes in your central vision, see your eye doctor.

 

In Conclusion

Patients suffering from progressed macular degeneration have a higher chance of social isolation and depression. Also, they might suffer from Charles Bonnet syndrome or see visual hallucinations. To prevent accelerated vision loss, you should visit your doctor right away.

For more on the early signs of macular degeneration, contact Clarity Vision in Williamston, North Carolina, at (252) 792-2250 today to schedule an appointment.