Macular degeneration is not a painful condition. In fact, some people do not even realise that they have macular degeneration until their symptoms become more severe.
The main symptom of macular degeneration is blurring of your central vision. Your peripheral (outer) vision is not affected.
Loss of central vision
Central vision loss affects your ability to see fine detail and colours. In particular, it results in:
- loss of visual acuity: the ability to detect fine details, or small distances, for example when you read or drive
- loss of contrast sensitivity: the ability to see less well-defined objects, such as faces, clearly.
If you have macular degeneration, your central vision will still be blurred, even when you wear glasses.
Dry age-related macular degeneration
If you have dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it may take 5-10 years before your symptoms significantly affect your daily life.
Sometimes, if only one of your eyes is affected by dry AMD, your healthy eye will compensate for any blurring or loss of vision. This means that it will take longer before your symptoms become noticeable.
You may have dry AMD if you find that:
- You need brighter light than normal when reading.
- It is difficult to read printed or written text (because it appears blurry).
- Colours appear less vibrant.
- You have difficulty recognising people's faces.
- Your vision seems hazy, or less well defined.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should make an appointment with your GP or optometrist (a healthcare professional who specialises in diagnosing vision problems and eye conditions).
Wet age-related macular degeneration
If you have wet AMD, the symptoms of blurred central vision appear more suddenly than they do in dry AMD. You may also experience other symptoms such as:
- Visual distortions. For example, straight lines may start to appear wavy or crooked.
- Blind spots. A blind spot usually appears in the middle of your visual field. The longer a blind spot is left untreated, the larger it will become. This is known as a central scotoma.
Seek immediate medical assistance if you experience any sudden changes in your vision, such as above.
It may be a sign that you have wet AMD, which needs to be treated as soon as possible to reduce the risk of permanent damage to your vision.
If you require immediate medical attention, you will either need to book an emergency appointment with an optometrist or visit your local hospital's accident and emergency (A&E) department.
About 70% of people with wet AMD have the condition in both eyes. If you only have wet AMD in one eye, you have a 10% chance every year of it developing in the other eye as well. After five years, there is a 40% chance that wet AMD will also develop in your other eye.
