What Are the Signs of Macular Degeneration?

Are your eyes bothering you? Perhaps you’re worried about your vision becoming damaged as you age due to eye strain or damage. Many people in their mid-40s will begin to experience some kind of vision problem. 

Macular degeneration causes visual impairment. This can start from damage to the central area of your retina. When this thin layer deteriorates, you can begin having vision problems or symptoms. 

These are important concerns to have for anyone. Check out these signs of macular degeneration and some things that could help you. 

Signs of Macular Degeneration Explained 

In the beginning, the signs of macular degeneration are typically invisible and without symptoms. Vision loss begins and can be incredibly gradual. You may have difficulty noticing that your vision is deteriorating because of how slow the beginning stages can be. 

Beginning Stages

If you notice the vision in the center of your eye beginning to grey out or deteriorate, talk to your doctor. These early beginning symptoms can be similar to Drusen build-up, which can be a symptom of macular degeneration or its own issue. 

But as the disease progresses you will start to experience more severe symptoms. Difficulty recognizing facial features, requiring brighter lights to see, and distortions like straight lines appearing bent are some possibilities. The following can also occur: 

• Colors become less intense or bright
• Blurriness 
• Trouble adjusting to dimly lit spaces
• A dark or blank spot in the middle of your sight 

In all areas of your health, it’s important to reduce your stress levels. If you’re stressing about your eye health, you’re not helping your body. Check out these tips for reducing your stress levels. 

Advances Stages 

Advanced stages fall into two different categories of “wet” or “dry” Advanced Macular Degeneration (AMD). 

Dry AMD 

The vast majority of AMD cases fall into the Dry AMD category, up to 90%. This involves the build-up of Drusen, as we discussed earlier. Your macula naturally gets thinner with age and vision is slowly lost from the center outwards. 

Wet AMD  

The more unusual form of AMD is much faster at causing vision loss. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels form beneath your retina. These can then begin to leak fluids which can scar your macula. 

What Else Should I Know? 

It’s important to catch this disease early, as there are methods to slow the progression of vision loss. Certain forms of the disease can be sudden and progress quickly – but can still potentially respond to treatment.

To avoid strain on your eyes, consider something like blue light filtering glasses. Learn about the benefits of blue light glasses and decide if they could help yoU!

If you have symptoms or other risk factors such as smoking, are over the age of 50, or have cardiovascular disease, book a visit to the eye doctor. Generally, an optometrist or ophthalmologist will have the specialized equipment to test for AMD. 

Don’t Let It Get You Down 

Don’t let the signs of macular degeneration get in the way of your enjoyment of life. Make sure to check out these great ideas for when you retire.