A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps:
- General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further:
- Inspection (viewing).
- Skin and mucous membranes
- Eyes
- Inspection (viewing).
- Ophthalmic examination: ophthalmoscopy (ophthalmoscopy) – for the diagnosis of “dry” or “wet” age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
- [“dry” AMD: Ophthalmoscopy reveals deposits below the retinal pigment epithelium (retina), which are called drusen (= subretinal lipid deposits). These are visible as small, yellow lesions clustered in the macula (“yellow spot” (Latin macula lutea); area of the retina with the highest density of photoreceptors). Over time, atrophic changes occur, which appear as sharply defined, hypopigmented (“reduced pigmentation”) areas and in the further course enlarge and confluent (merge).
- “wet” or “exudative” AMD: The vascular neoplasms in wet AMD are difficult to secure by ophthalmoscopy, because they are located below the retina (retina). Ophthalmoscopy may reveal edema (fluid accumulation), hemorrhage, and gray discoloration in the macular area. In wet AMD, therefore, a so-called fluorescein angiography (vascular imaging using contrast medium) or, rarely, an indocyanine green angiography may be required to detect the vascular neoplasms]
- Health check
Square brackets [ ] indicate possible pathological (pathological) physical findings.
