Dry Macular Degeneration Symptoms
The symptoms for dry macular degeneration tend to develop slowly as the physical changes to the eye develops slowly. The course of the disease is different for different patients as the disease may be in one or both eyes, and the degree of visual changes will depend on the number of drusen deposits in the macula. A small number of drusen will probably not cause visual changes, but as they grow and increase in number the vision will dim and become distorted. In the more advanced stages of this disease there will be dry macular degeneration, and the light-sensitive cells will thin, which leads to atrophy and loss of central vision.
The most common symptoms of this disorder include:
- Blurred vision, which will be noticed in printed words is often the first symptom
- An increase in adapting to the lower levels of light, such as at dusk or when entering a darker room
- Needing brighter light to read or do some type of close work
- Finding it difficult to recognize faces of people you know
- A gradual loss of central vision
- Haziness in the central vision or in the overall vision
- Crooked central vision where straight lines will appear crooked
- A blind spot (scotoma) or blurriness in the central field of vision
- Sometimes objects will appear smaller in only one eye
- In more advanced cases, hallucinations of geometric shapes or people
Wet Macular Degeneration Symptoms
Since wet macular degeneration occurs in a totally different way, the symptoms are also different. While it can begin slowly, it almost always appears suddenly. The progression of the disease is also rapid. This condition usually develops in patients that have had dry macular degeneration first.
The most common symptoms of wet macular degeneration include:
- Visual distortions that make straight lines appear wavy or lopsided, as doorways may appear crooked
- Objects may appear to be further away
- Decreased central vision
- A blurry or central blind spot
- An abrupt onset of visual changes
- A decrease in the brightness and intensity of colors
- The vision declines rapidly
- Hallucinations of the shapes of people, animals, geometric shapes when the disease is advanced
The visual impact with wet macular degeneration will be affected, particularly if the disease is not treated quickly after the symptoms begin.
Knowing the symptoms of each of these disorders may save the central vision. For an individual over the age of 55, with a family history of macular degeneration, these symptoms should be taken very seriously.