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Living with AMD can be very challenging, both for people suffering with the condition and for those around them.
In addition to support from your vision specialist, you may find it helpful to use support groups as you adapt to your life living with AMD.
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If your vision continues to get worse, you may want to consider registering as visually impaired. This may enable you to obtain financial assistance.
Once you have been diagnosed with AMD, you will have regular checkups with your specialist to see how your condition is progressing.
Ask your specialist to check whether you meet the requirements to be registered and to complete the official certificate.
It is also worth asking whether you need to notify the driving authorities about your condition, since in some countries this is required by law.
In some cases, AMD can make it difficult for you to drive. If you are diagnosed with AMD, you should ask your specialist if they think you should stop driving.
There is also some evidence that taking certain health supplements can stop AMD from getting worse, but this evidence is not definitive.
It is also important, as with anything, to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is a good idea to eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and stop smoking if you smoke.
If you are diagnosed with dry AMD, your specialist may refer you to a low-vision clinic, where you can get useful advice and practical support to cope with everyday activities.
If you have wet AMD, which means your vision gets worse quickly over a few weeks or months, you may need regular eye injections.
If you have dry AMD, which means your vision gets worse gradually over several years, there is no treatment. However, vision aids can help reduce the impact the condition has on your life.
If you are diagnosed with AMD, your optician or eye doctor will talk to you about what the diagnosis means and what your treatment options are.
At your appointment, the optician will most likely use a magnifying glass with a light to look at the back of your eye and check for any problems.
In some cases, you may be transferred to an eye doctor or a specialist AMD service. This usually only happens if you need to start treatment within a few days.
In addition to the blurred or distorted area, other symptoms include seeing straight lines as wavy or crooked, and seeing objects as smaller than normal.
If the condition worsens, it may become impossible to see anything in the middle of your vision. It may look as if there is a black spot in the middle of your field.
Colors may also seem less bright than they used to, and you may start to see things that aren’t there (or in other words, you may start to hallucinate).
It is important that you see an eye doctor urgently if your vision suddenly gets worse, you have a dark shadow moving across your vision, and/or your eye is red and painful.
These are not symptoms of AMD, but they can be signs of other eye issues that need urgent medical attention.
It is important to keep in mind that AMD is not painful, and it does not affect the outer appearance of your eyes. Sometimes it may be found at a routine eye test before you present with symptoms.
The first symptom of AMD is often a blurred or distorted patch in your vision. It affects the middle of the eye, rather than the edges, and it can appear in one or both eyes.
It is not known exactly what causes AMD, but it has been linked to certain behaviors, such as smoking, as well as high blood pressure, being overweight, and having a family history of AMD.
Normally it first presents in people in their fifties and sixties, and although it does not cause total blindness, it can make everyday activities more difficult.
Age-related macular degeneration–more commonly referred to as AMD–is a condition that affects the middle part of your vision.
It is important to recognize the symptoms of AMD, as without treatment the condition may quickly get worse.
AMD, otherwise known as age-related macular degeneration, is a vision condition that tends to affect people in the later years of their lives. With symptoms usually presenting when people are in their fifties and sixties, AMD causes gradual vision loss that can be difficult to deal with. The symptoms can vary, but the condition usually starts by causing a blurry or distorted spot in the middle of a person's vision.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn all about AMD.
AMD: What it is, and how to spot it
Check out this gallery to learn all about AMD
HEALTH Vision
AMD, otherwise known as age-related macular degeneration, is a vision condition that tends to affect people in the later years of their lives. With symptoms usually presenting when people are in their fifties and sixties, AMD causes gradual vision loss that can be difficult to deal with. The symptoms can vary, but the condition usually starts by causing a blurry or distorted spot in the middle of a person's vision.
Curious? Check out this gallery to learn all about AMD.