Diagnosis of Age-related macular degeneration
Diagnostic Test list for Age-related macular degeneration:
The list of medical tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Age-related macular degeneration
includes:
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Age-related macular degeneration:
Are You at Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI (Excerpt)
Your eye care professional may suspect AMD if you are over age 60
and have had recent changes in your central vision. To look for
signs of the disease, he or she will use eye drops to dilate, or
enlarge, your pupils. Dilating the pupils allows your eye care
professional to view the back of the eye better.
You may also be asked to view an Amsler grid, a pattern that
looks like a checkerboard. Early changes in your central vision will
cause the grid to appear distorted, a sign of AMD. (Source: excerpt from Are You at Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI)
Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI (Excerpt)
Eye care professionals detect AMD during an eye examination that
includes:
Visual acuity test: This eye chart test measures how well
you see at various distances.
Pupil dilation: This examination enables your eye care
professional to see more of the retina and look for signs of AMD. To
do this, drops are placed into the eye to dilate (widen) the pupil.
After the examination, your vision may remain blurred for several
hours.
One of the most common early signs of AMD is the presence of
drusen. Drusen are tiny yellow deposits in the retina. Your
eye care professional can see them during an eye examination. The
presence of drusen alone does not indicate a disease, but it might
mean that the eye is at risk for developing more severe AMD.
While conducting the examination, your eye care professional may
ask you to look at an Amsler grid. This grid is a pattern
that resembles a checkerboard. You will be asked to cover one eye
and stare at a black dot in the center of the grid. While staring at
the dot, you may notice that the straight lines in the pattern
appear wavy to you. You may notice that some of the lines are
missing. These may be signs of wet AMD (See Amsler Grid
below.)
If your eye care professional suspects you have wet AMD, you may
need to have a test called fluorescein angiography. In this
test, a special dye is injected into a vein in your arm. Pictures
are then taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels in the
retina. The photos help your eye care professional evaluate leaking
blood vessels to determine whether they can be treated. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI)
