AMD Stages
As a progressive disease, AMD reveals itself in stages.
• Subclinical AMD is the earliest detectable stage of age-related macular degeneration. The first warning sign comes in the form of trouble seeing at night. Many people blame poor night vision (caused by impaired "dark adaptation") on the normal aging process and don’t report the symptom to their doctor. Don’t make that mistake. If you begin having difficulty driving at night, reading in dim light or adjusting to seeing in the dark, tell your eye care professional. Identifying AMD at this point is critical to proactively managing AMD.
• Early to Intermediate AMD
Before we learned that dark adaptation is the first symptom of AMD, eye care professionals relied on identifying the disease during the early or intermediate stages. At this point, your doctor may see drusen--yellow deposits of fatty protein under your retina--which is an indicator of AMD.
• Advanced AMD
During late-stage AMD, people start to notice central vision blurriness. The transition from early-stage to late-stage AMD happens rapidly. If left untreated, it can lead to legal blindness in as little as six months. While treatment options can slow the progression of late AMD, nothing can reverse the damage already done.
• Subclinical AMD is the earliest detectable stage of age-related macular degeneration. The first warning sign comes in the form of trouble seeing at night. Many people blame poor night vision (caused by impaired "dark adaptation") on the normal aging process and don’t report the symptom to their doctor. Don’t make that mistake. If you begin having difficulty driving at night, reading in dim light or adjusting to seeing in the dark, tell your eye care professional. Identifying AMD at this point is critical to proactively managing AMD.
• Early to Intermediate AMD
Before we learned that dark adaptation is the first symptom of AMD, eye care professionals relied on identifying the disease during the early or intermediate stages. At this point, your doctor may see drusen--yellow deposits of fatty protein under your retina--which is an indicator of AMD.
• Advanced AMD
During late-stage AMD, people start to notice central vision blurriness. The transition from early-stage to late-stage AMD happens rapidly. If left untreated, it can lead to legal blindness in as little as six months. While treatment options can slow the progression of late AMD, nothing can reverse the damage already done.
