Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) isn't a painful condition. Some people don't realise they have it until they notice a loss of vision.
The main symptom of macular degeneration is blurring of your central vision (what you see when you focus straight ahead). This means:
Your peripheral vision (side vision) isn't affected. Glasses won't be able to correct your blurred central vision.
Both eyes tend toeventually be affected by AMD, although you may only notice problems in one eye to begin with.
If you have dry AMD, it may take5 to 10 years before yourloss of visionsignificantly affects your daily life.
Sometimes your healthy eye will compensate for any blurring or vision lossif only one of your eyes is affected. This means it will take longer before your symptoms become noticeable.
You may have dry AMD if:
If you're experiencing any of these symptoms, you should make an appointment with your GP or local optometrist (a healthcare professional trained to recognise signs of eye problems).
Read about diagnosing age-related macular degeneration.
In most cases, wet AMD develops in people who've already had dry AMD.
If you have wet AMD, any blurring in your central vision will suddenly worsen.
You may also experience other symptoms, such as:
Seecomplications of AMD for more information.
Bookan emergency appointment with an optometrist if you experience sudden changes in your vision, such as those described above.
Wet AMD needs to be treated as soon as possible to stop your vision getting worse.
Find out about age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which mainly affects people over 50 years of age and usually leads to a gradual loss of central vision.
Read about the symptoms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which causes a loss of central vision that affects your ability to see objects and fine detail clearly.
Read about what causes macular degeneration. Dry AMD is the result of a build-up of waste material in the retina. Wet AMD is caused by tiny blood vessels that grow under the macula.
Find out how macular degeneration is diagnosed using a routine eye test, Amsler grid and retinal imaging techniques.
Read about managing dry AMD, including maximising low vision and dietary advice, plus the two main treatments for wet AMD: anti-VEGF medication and laser surgery.
Read about the possible complications of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including depression, anxiety and visual hallucinations caused by Charles Bonnet syndrome.
Barbara Watson talks about how age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affected her.