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Diagnosis

Checking your Central Vision

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Amsler GridInstructions on using the Amsler grid:

1. Wear your reading glasses.
2. Cover one eye.
3. Look at the center dot and keep your eye focused on it at all times.
4. While looking directly at the center, and only the center, be sure that all the lines are straight and all the small squares are the same size.
5. If you should notice any area on the grid that appears blank, distorted (wavy), or discolored, call your doctor within a few days.
6. Do this test for each eye separately.

One way to test the central vision in order to detect even the smallest changes when they first appear is to use the Amsler grid. If you note any changes you should see your eye doctor promptly.

The Amsler grid is not the only way to watch for symptoms of macular degeneration. You can also check your vision using a book or newspaper. Many people find that a crossword puzzle or Venetian blinds work as well as the Amsler grid to reveal distortion. Digital clocks are useful in exposing blank areas in the central vision. The key is to look at the same object from the same distance in the same way (with or without glasses) using only one eye at a time, each time you check your vision. If you think there is a change, but you aren’t sure, it is safe to wait a day or two and check your vision again. If it is anything to worry about, the disturbance in your vision will not go away – if anything, it may get worse.

The Symptoms of Macular Degeneration

In the earliest stages of macular degeneration, vision may become blurred for distance or for reading, or both.

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Amsler Grid with Macular Degeneration

A very frequent and important symptom is distortion. Straight lines will not look straight. A telephone pole or a doorframe may seem a little bent, crooked, or irregular, as though seen through heat waves on a highway. An area of the Amsler grid will appear distorted and the small boxes in that area will vary in shape and size. Also, you may see a dark gray spot similar to the aftereffect caused by a flashbulb. There may be other changes in vision: you may notice that the size of an object appears different for each eye or that colors do not look the same for each eye. These changes in eyesight are important symptoms and anyone who has these symptoms should make sure to see their eye doctor promptly.

Macular degeneration does not cause headaches, eye pain, burning, or tearing.

Many people mistakenly blame these vision problems on their glasses. Do not assume you simply need a new pair of glasses and delay contacting your doctor.