Diagnosis and Eye Tests for AMD
Diagnosing AMD requires a detailed eye exam. The sooner it’s detected, the better your chances of slowing the disease.
Common Diagnostic Tests
- Dilated Eye Exam
- Your eye specialist uses drops to widen your pupil and examines the retina and macula.
- Your eye specialist uses drops to widen your pupil and examines the retina and macula.
- Amsler Grid Test
- You focus on a grid of straight lines to check for distortion—a key sign of wet AMD.
- You focus on a grid of straight lines to check for distortion—a key sign of wet AMD.
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
- A painless scan that shows detailed images of the retina’s layers.
- A painless scan that shows detailed images of the retina’s layers.
- Fluorescein Angiography
- A dye test used to examine abnormal blood vessel growth in wet AMD.
Screening in South Africa | Diagnosis and Eye Tests for AMD
- Available in most private eye clinics
- Public sector access is limited outside major metros
- NGOs like the Bureau for the Prevention of Blindness offer occasional mobile screening events in rural areas
If diagnosed early—particularly in dry AMD—lifestyle changes and supplements can help. For wet AMD, quick intervention is vital to preserving sight.
🔹 Next → [Treatment and Management of AMD]
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
