• What is AMD?
• Symptoms
• Get an urgent opticians appointment if:
• What happens at your opticians appointment
• Treatment
• Living with AMD
• Information

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common condition that affects the middle part of your vision. It usually first affects people in their 50s and 60s.
• It does not cause total blindness. But it can make everyday activities like reading and recognising faces difficult.
• Without treatment, your vision may get worse. This can happen gradually over several years (“dry AMD”), or quickly over a few weeks or months (“wet AMD”).
• The exact cause is unknown. It’s been linked to smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and having a family history of AMD.

The first symptom is often a blurred or distorted area in your vision.

If it gets worse, you may struggle to see anything in the middle of your vision. 

• your vision gets suddenly worse
• you have a dark “curtain” or shadow moving across your vision
• your eye is red and painful

These are not symptoms of AMD, but can be signs of other eye problems that need to be treated immediately.

Go to A&E or call 111 straight away if you cannot get an urgent appointment.

You’ll be seen by a specialist called an optometrist.

They’ll use a magnifying glass with a light to look at the back of your eyes and check your vision.

They may put drops in your eyes to make it easier for them to spot any problems. These can make your vision blurry for a few hours.

Important

Do not drive until your vision goes back to normal. This may take 4 to 6 hours.

If you’re diagnosed with AMD, the specialist will talk to you about what it is, what type you have and what the treatment options are.

Dry AMD

• Caused by a build-up of a fatty substance called drusen at the back of the eyes
• Common
• Gets worse gradually – usually over several years
• No treatment – unless it develops into wet AMD

Wet AMD

• Caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels at the back of the eyes
• Less common
• Can get worse quickly – sometimes in days or weeks
• Treatment can help stop vision getting worse

It might be difficult to take in everything the specialist tells you.

If you’re unsure about something later, write down any questions you have and make another appointment to go over them.

Treatment depends on the type of AMD you have.

• Dry AMD – there’s no treatment, but vision aids can help reduce the effect on your life. Read about living with AMD.
• Wet AMD – you may need regular eye injections and, very occasionally, a light treatment called photodynamic therapy, to stop your vision getting worse.

Eye injections

Anti-VEGF medicines – ranibizumab (Lucentis), aflibercept (Eylea) and brolucizumab (Beovu)

Injections given directly into the eyes:

• stops vision getting worse in 9 out of 10 people and improves vision in 3 out of 10 people
• usually given every 1, 2 or 3 months for as long as necessary
• drops numb the eyes before treatment – most people have minimal discomfort
• side effects include bleeding in the eye, feeling like there’s something in the eye, and redness and irritation of the eye

Macular Society: injections for wet AMD

Light treatment

Photodynamic therapy (PDT)

A light is shined at the back of the eyes to destroy the abnormal blood vessels that cause wet AMD:

• may be recommended alongside eye injections if injections alone do not help
• usually needs to be repeated every few months
• side effects include temporary vision problems, and the eyes and skin being sensitive to light for a few days or weeks

AMD is often linked to an unhealthy lifestyle.

If you have it, try to:

• eat a balanced diet
• exercise regularly
• lose weight if you’re overweight
• stop smoking if you smoke

There’s some evidence to suggest that certain health supplements might help stop AMD getting worse, but this is not definitive.

Driving

AMD can make it unsafe for you to drive. Ask your specialist if they think you should stop driving.

You’re required by law to tell DVLA about your condition if:

• it affects both eyes
• it only affects 1 eye but your remaining vision is below the minimum standards of vision for driving

Monitoring and check-ups

You’ll have regular check-ups with a specialist to monitor your condition.

Contact your specialist as soon as possible if your vision gets worse or you notice any new symptoms.

Registering as sight impaired

If your vision continues to get worse, you may want to consider registering your sight loss.

This can make it easier to claim financial benefits, such as help with health costs.

Your specialist can check your vision and complete an official certificate if you meet the requirements to be registered.

Information:

GOV.UK: driving eyesight rules

GOV.UK: how to tell DVLA about a medical condition

Find an optician

Find an A&E department

Find out more about photodynamic therapy