In some cases, the vessels can be closed off to stop the leakage with laser treatment but vision may or may not improve afterwards, since abnormal blood vessels can grow back after laser treatment. Macular degeneration is one of the commonest causes of vision loss in older adults. It does not, by itself, result in total blindness. Most people who have had severe vision loss from macular degeneration, can be assisted with low-vision aids for reading. Patients can notice a gradual or sudden deterioration in, especially reading vision, in the affected eye.
Some patients observe distortion of vision which indicates accumulation of fluid under the retina.
Macular degeneration is diagnosed by your eye doctor, by careful examination of the back of the eye. Very often a test is performed called a fluorescein angiogram . This is a test whereby photographs of the macula are obtained, following injection of fluorescein dye. This test helps to establish the diagnosis, to assess the severity of the changes, and most importantly, to differentiate between the dry and wet form of the disease. There are now many forms of treatment which can be considered for the wet form of macular degeneration .