Macular Degeneration Symptoms

Common macular degeneration symptoms include distortion of straight lines, dark spots and other vision issues.

Macular degeneration symptoms often appear gradually, and in the early stages of the disease, there may be no significant changes in vision.

Macular degeneration symptoms

For many people, the first macular degeneration symptom is distortion of straight lines or distorted central vision. Other symptoms may include:

• Dark, blurry or blind spots in your central vision
• Crooked or decreased central vision
• A decreased intensity or brightness in color perception
• Hazy vision and an inability to pick out fine details
• Hallucinations of geometric shapes or people

Dry vs. wet macular degeneration symptoms

Your macular degeneration symptoms also may present differently based on the type of macular degeneration you have:

• Dry macular degeneration symptoms: These are not always noticeable in the early stages, because this form of the disease can affect one eye only. In this case, the good eye may compensate for the weak eye, and your vision will not appear compromised until the disease advances.
• Wet macular degeneration symptoms: In this form of the disease, macular degeneration symptoms may appear abruptly and progress rapidly.

Amsler grid test

You can assess your vision for distortion and other common macular degeneration symptoms by taking the Amsler Grid test at home. This tool helps to assess early vision loss as well as the progression of macular degeneration for those who have already been diagnosed. It is very important that you check one eye at a time by covering each eye to assess vision loss in the other.

At Henry Ford, patients come first.

The Henry Ford Department of Ophthalmology is committed to providing our patients with compassionate, personalized care. We feature the most advanced treatments in eye care and are dedicated to vision research – always staying at the forefront of innovation. A leader in Michigan, as well as one of the largest ophthalmology practices in the United States, we treat more than 55,000 patients per year at 12 locations throughout southeast Michigan. In addition, our team works closely with Henry Ford Medical Group physicians in other departments, providing multidisciplinary, coordinated care for those patients who need it.