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Macular degeneration (AMD): what it is and what you can do
Last updated: 20 August 2026
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition of the macula — the small centre of your retina with which you see sharply, read and recognise faces. It is the most common cause of permanent visual impairment in older adults. The edges of your visual field remain intact: AMD does not cause total blindness, but it can seriously affect the centre of your vision.
Animatie: wat maculadegeneratie met het centrale zicht doet
In short
- AMD affects central vision; the edges of your visual field remain intact.
- There are two types: dry AMD (slow) and wet AMD (fast — and treatable if caught quickly).
- Sudden distortion — straight lines appearing wavy — is an alarm signal: see an ophthalmologist within days.
- Not smoking, eating well and periodic checks with OCT are the best things you can do yourself.
⚠ Acute symptoms?Sudden vision loss, an eye injury, chemicals in the eye, severe pain, or new blind spots in your visual field? Don't wait for an online explanation — call your GP (huisarts), the out-of-hours GP service, or 112 immediately.
What exactly is macular degeneration?
The macula packs your sharp-vision cells closely together. In AMD, waste products accumulate under the retina (drusen — the small dots visible on an OCT or fundus photo) and the tissue gradually gets damaged. This almost always happens with age: AMD is rare before 55.
What is the difference between dry and wet AMD?
Dry AMD is the most common type (roughly nine in ten): the process is slow, over years, with gradual decline. No treatment cures dry AMD yet; care focuses on lifestyle, aids and monitoring the course.
Wet AMD is rarer but more aggressive: new, leaking blood vessels grow under the retina, and central vision can deteriorate within weeks. The good news: wet AMD is treatable with injections into the eye (anti-VEGF) — provided action is taken quickly. Here, speed literally determines how much vision is preserved.
Which warning signs should you take seriously?
The best-known alarm signal is metamorphopsia: straight lines (door frames, tile edges, lines of text) suddenly appear bent or wavy. A grey or blurry patch in the centre of your vision, or trouble recognising faces while the edges stay sharp, belong on that list too. If you notice this — especially suddenly and in one eye — it is not something to 'wait out' but a reason to reach an ophthalmologist within days, via your GP or optometrist.
How is AMD diagnosed and monitored?
The OCT scan is the workhorse here: it shows drusen, fluid accumulation and the retinal layers in detail, and makes the course objectively comparable between visits. A fundus photo and a visual acuity measurement complete the picture. People with AMD often get an Amsler grid to check weekly at home whether lines stay straight.
What can you do yourself?
The biggest modifiable risk factor is smoking — quitting matters as much for your eyes as for your heart. Beyond that: a varied diet with leafy greens and oily fish, blood pressure under control, and protection against bright sunlight. In advanced dry AMD a specific supplement (per the AREDS2 formula) can slightly reduce the risk of progression — discuss with your ophthalmologist, as it isn't useful for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Will AMD make me blind?
No — AMD affects the centre of vision, not the edges. It does not cause total blindness, but advanced AMD can seriously hamper reading, driving and recognising faces.
I have drusen on my OCT. Do I have AMD now?
Small drusen are very common with age and by no means always mean disease. Number, size and change over time shape the picture — exactly why periodic comparison of scans is so valuable.
Is AMD hereditary?
Heredity clearly plays a role. With AMD in your close family your own risk is elevated, and periodic checks — certainly from your sixties — are extra worthwhile.
Sources and further reading
This article is general explanation, not medical advice about your situation. For acute symptoms: call your GP, the out-of-hours GP service, or 112.