Many people think the symptoms of AMD are just a normal sign of aging, but this isn’t true! Talk to your doctor as soon as you experience symptoms and make sure to get a yearly, dilated eye exam. If you have AMD, you may notice blurring of vision and have particular difficulty seeing sharp details up close and from a distance. Straight lines may appear wavy or fractured in parts of the visual field. You may notice distortions of lines and shapes in everyday objects, such as crooked doorframes. Here are some other warning signs:

• A blurry or dark spot may appear in the central part of your vision.
• Faces may begin to blur.
• It becomes difficult to distinguish colors.
• Contrast sensitivity decreases.
• Adjusting from bright to dim lighting becomes challenging.
• Depth perception is impaired.
• Sensitivity to bright lights increases.
• Vision improves at night.
• Close work (such as threading a needle) becomes impossible.

These symptoms may be inconsistent and may change from day to day. Sometimes only one eye loses vision while the other eye continues to see fairly well for a long period of time. The unaffected eye will take over to compensate for vision loss in the affected one, so you may not notice the problem until both eyes are affected. This is why it is important to go to your eye doctor for regular, dilated eye exams.

The rate of progression of AMD and the onset of symptoms will vary from person to person. Some people may experience rapid deterioration of central vision, while others may have gradual vision loss. In most cases, peripheral vision remains. People living with AMD often have difficulty performing daily activities such as reading, dialing the telephone, driving, and cooking. The important thing to know is that wet AMD can be treated and there are low vision support services that can help.