The following symptoms or complaints indicate macular degeneration:
- Problems reading – a blurry spot or gray shadow appears in the center of the writing, which becomes larger over time until only contrasts and outlines are perceived
- Distorted vision (metamorphopsia) of actually straight objects – lines are perceived wavy, letters are no longer in line
- Things are perceived “around the corner”, the “surrounding vision” or even “peripheral vision” is preserved
The above symptoms occur only when macular degeneration is already well advanced. “Dry” form of AMD versus “wet” or “exudative” AMD:
- Dry AMD: slow, steady deterioration of central visual acuity, but no changes in the periphery. Patients complain that they can no longer recognize faces and that reading ability is lost.
- “Wet” or “exudative” AMD: acute deterioration of central visual acuity (“central gray haze”) and distorted vision (metamorphopsia; see above).
Further notes
- Initial symptoms include distorted vision or deficits in the central visual field. These are often reported by the patient as immobile, centrally located “gray spots”.
- Distortion vision (metamorphopsia) can be detected early by the patient himself using the Amsler grid.
- Even in late forms, the surrounding and orientation vision is preserved. This is not surprising, because in the degenerative processes only the macular region is affected and the rest of the retina (retina) remains unaffected.
- In 64.5% of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the same AMD stage is present in both eyes.
