Warning signs
Early AMD is silent. As it progresses, the centre of vision starts to play tricks: lines bend, faces blur, a quiet grey patch appears. Check each eye separately — one eye often covers for the other.
Straight lines look wavy. Door frames, tiles or window blinds appear bent or rippled — the most classic early warning sign.
A dark or empty spot. A grey, dark or blank patch sits in the middle of what you see and grows over time.
Faded colours. Colours lose their vividness, or things seem washed out.
Trouble with faces and text. Recognising faces gets harder; print looks blurry even with reading glasses.
More light needed. Reading or close work demands brighter and brighter light.
Slow adjustment. Moving from bright to dim environments, one eye takes noticeably longer to adapt.
Self-check
Eye doctors use this grid to spot macular problems. Try the simulation below to see what AMD can make it look like.
At home: wear your reading glasses, cover one eye, focus on the centre dot at normal reading distance. If lines look wavy, broken or a patch is missing — see an eye doctor promptly.
These can signal wet AMD. Treatment works best within days — delay can cost sight permanently.
Early AMD has no symptoms at all — only a retinal exam can find it. Ask about AI-based retinal photo screening at your next visit.