Age Related Macular Degeneration
(AMD)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can blur your central vision. It happens when aging causes damage to the macula — the part of the eye that controls sharp, straight-ahead vision.

AMD is a common condition and is a leading cause of vision loss for older adults. AMD doesn’t cause complete blindness but 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 very slowly in some people and faster in others. If you have early AMD, you may not notice vision loss for a long time. That’s why it’s important to get regular eye exams to find out if you have AMD.

AMD is a progressive disease. The symptoms depend on the stage. Dry AMD happens in 3 stages: early, intermediate, and late.  

• Early dry AMD doesn’t cause any symptoms.
• In intermediate dry AMD, some people still have no symptoms. 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), many people notice that straight lines start to look wavy or crooked. You may also notice a blurry area near the centre of your vision. Over time, this blurry area may get bigger, or you may see blank spots. Colours may also seem less bright than before, and you may have more trouble seeing in low lighting.

Straight lines looking wavy is a warning sign for late AMD. If you notice this symptom, contact your local optometrist as soon as possible.

The good news is Macular degeneration is not painful and almost never leads to total blindness. It’s the most common cause of poor sight in the over 60-age groups but never affects the vision outside the central area. This means that almost everybody will still have their peripheral vision (side vision) to keep their independence. Near vision can be improved by using stronger reading spectacles or magnifiers

Treatment for AMD depends on the stage and type. There’s currently no treatment for early AMD, so your Optometrist may ask you to monitor progress with more regular eye examinations for example every year instead of every two years. Eating healthy, getting regular exercise, and quitting smoking can also help. 

If you have intermediate AMD in one or both eyes, special dietary supplements (vitamins and minerals) may be able to stop it from turning into late AMD. If you have late AMD in only one eye, these supplements may slow down AMD in your other eye.

There’s currently no treatment for late dry AMD, but researchers are hard at work looking for treatment options. Further support and learning is also available to help you live with vision loss from AMD.