Tests for Macular Degeneration Early detection of AMD is very important because treatments can delay or reduce the severity of the disease. Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control More on eyes in our Eye and Vision Center Macular Degeneration-Related Clinical Trials Information Email this page Print this section

There are a number of tests available to check for AMD, many of which are part of the routine ophthalmological exam. Regular visits to an ophthalmologist are therefore important; detection during the early stages means that treatment will be more effective. Through a dilated pupil, your doctor will check for the presence of drusen deposits in the retina, one of the common early signs of dry AMD. Your doctor may also ask you to look at an Amsler grid, a picture of horizontal and vertical lines that resembles a checkerboard. If lines on the grid appear wavy, distorted, or missing, this may be a sign that AMD is disrupting your vision. The Amsler grid can also be used at home to periodically check for vision changes that may require the attention of a doctor.

If your doctor suspects you have or may be developing the wet form of AMD, you may undergo a procedure called fluorescein angiography. A fluorescent dye is injected into the bloodstream. Special photographs of the back of the eye are then taken to track the movement of the dye as it reaches and passes through the blood vessels feeding the retina. If vessels are leaking fluid or blood in the macula, the photographs will show them.