Macular Degeneration Test
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There is no one macular degeneration test, but rather several ways that your eye care professional can determine if you have or are at risk for developing macular degeneration.
A macular degeneration eye exam includes several different tests.
Visual Acuity TestThis test simply tests for the sharpness of your vision. The most common one being the Snellen chart which is the familiar white chart with black letters.
Macular Degeneration Grid orAmsler Grid
The Amsler Grid is a macular degeneration test that checks for any distortion or wavy lines, which are symptoms of macular degeneration. A person with normal vision will see all straight lines.
A person with wet macular degeneration sees something like this illustration - the lines are wavy and distorted. They may also see a "hole" in the middle of the macular degeneration grid. The doctor is assessing the macula (the center of the retina)when testing your vision using the Amsler Grid. A patient diagnosed with dry or wet macular degeneration should have an Amsler grid at home to monitor their vision. If any changes are noticed, notify your doctor right away.
Pupil Dilation
Your pupils are dilated so that your eye care specialist can get a fuller view of the retina. Special drops are administered to dilate the retina. The drops take about 20-40 minutes to work - but it takes about 4 hours to wear off. Bring sunglasses to wear for your drive home and remember that you may not be able to read for a couple of hours.
After your pupils are dilated, the physician has you sit at a device called a slit lamp. The slit lamp provides a magnified image of the structures of the eye which helps with a thorough evaluation to detect signs of infection or disease. When used with special lenses, the slit lamp gives the examiner a highly magnified view of the retina. Macular DrusenThis is when the examiner will look for drusen. Drusen are small yellow or off-white deposits that form in the tissue layer underneath the retina.
The appearance of drusen near the macula is one of the most common early signs of macular degeneration. It does not necessarily mean that you have macular degeneration, but it does mean that the eye is at risk for developing AMD. Drusen can be present in the eye for years without affecting your vision.Drusen that develop away from the macula usually do not indicate the development of macular degeneration. The examiner will also look for other areas of the retina that might appear abnormal such as, the retina appears raised bleeding or fluid behind the retina. These signs would suggest choroidal neovascularization (CNV)or wet macular degeneration. In these cases, further testing may be necessary. A camera can be attached to a slit-lamp, allowing the doctor to photograph and document any eye problems.
Fluorescein AngiographyFluorescein angiography is a macular degeneration test that is most useful in diagnosing choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or wet macular degeneration.A dye is injected into an arm vein which then travels through your blood stream to your eye. You may get a warm feeling or experience a hot flush. This only lasts seconds and then disappears. Photos of the retina are then taken over a period of about 60 seconds as the dye enters the vessels at the back of your eye. The ophthalmologist can see if the dye leaks from any of the vessels to determine if and where new and fragile blood vessels have developed. To read more about this macular degeneration test click here:
Fluorescein Angiography
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