eye disorders
Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD or ARMD)
Symptoms and Signs of AMD
The loss of central vision occurs over years and is painless, and most patients retain enough vision to read and drive. Central blind spots (scotomas) usually occur late in the disease and can sometimes become severe. Symptoms are usually bilateral. Funduscopic changesinclude the following: Changes in the retinal pigment epithelium Drusen Areas of chorioretinal atrophy Rapid vision loss, usually over days to weeks, is more typical of wet AMD. The first symptom is usually visual distortion, such as a central blind spot (scotoma) or curving of straight lines (metamorphopsia). Peripheral vision and color vision are generally unaffected; however, the patient may become legally blind (<20/200 vision) in the affected eye, particularly if AMD is not treated. Wet AMD usually affects one eye at a time; thus, symptoms of wet AMD are often unilateral. Funduscopic changesinclude the following: Subretinal fluid, appearing as localized retinal elevation Retinal edema Gray-green discoloration under the macula Exudates in or around the macula Detachment of retinal pigment epithelium (visible as an area of retinal elevation) Subretinal hemorrhage in or around the macula 