Macular degeneration is a progressive eye disease that affects the macula, causing vision changes. It is most common in adults over 50 and can be detected early with regular eye exams. Symptoms include blurry vision, blind spots, and distorted shapes. It does not cause pain and patients should seek medical treatment.
Macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease that involves the gradual degeneration of the macula, an area in the center of the eye, is accompanied by a variety of symptoms, all revolving around vision changes. Macular degeneration is most common in adults over the age of 50, and if people recognize symptoms of macular degeneration, they should seek medical treatment so they can receive a diagnosis and discuss their options with a doctor. Patients should also be aware that macular degeneration is painless and if pain accompanies vision problems, macular degeneration is not responsible for the changes.
This condition usually occurs slowly over time, making the onset of macular degeneration symptoms very gradual. Many patients don’t realize the extent of the damage because they start using their better eye until the symptoms become so severe they are immediately apparent. Regular eye exams can be used to detect macular degeneration in the early stages and to identify other eye conditions that may be treatable and completely treatable in the other stages, such as diabetic retinopathy.
People with macular degeneration will not go blind, but the center of their vision will gradually become darkened, which can make it difficult to perform basic tasks. Symptoms of macular degeneration often start with blurry or fuzzy vision and difficulty seeing objects near or far. Over time, people can develop blind spots and marks in the eye that are distracting or irritating.
One of the classic symptoms of macular degeneration can be illustrated with the use of a grid of straight lines. As the degeneration progresses, bent straight lines will appear in the affected eye, meaning that a grid will not read as a square, with the patient complaining that the lines bend and the squares in the grid are warped. Symptoms of macular degeneration can also involve a difference in color perception and visual acuity between the eyes and distortion of shapes between the eyes. For example, one eye might perceive a yellow line in the road as relatively straight, while the other might think it is bending.
Many people with macular degeneration also experience blurring of vision and typically have trouble in low-light environments. They may start using more lights to see when working on projects or feel dazed in dark rooms. Hallucinations are another symptom of macular degeneration that can occur in some patients.
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