If you've noticed changes in your vision that seem like symptoms of AMD, make an appointment with an eye doctor or retina specialist. To diagnose AMD, you need to have your eyes dilated so he or she can see the back of your eye. And be sure to review your medical history. If there are signs of AMD, your ophthalmologist will refer you to a retina specialist if you don't already have one. Since wet AMD can progress quickly, it is important to get treatment right away.

EYE TESTS THAT MAY BE PERFORMED FOR SCREENING AND MONITORING AMD INCLUDE:

Visual acuity test—the Snellen eye chart. The Snellen eye chart measures how well each eye can see. It's a group of letters on different lines. The lower down you see on the eye chart (the smaller letters) the better your vision.

Amsler grid. This looks like a checkerboard with a black dot in the middle. You should cover 1 eye and stare at the black dot. While staring at the dot, you may notice that the straight lines seem wavy. Or, it may seem like some of the lines are missing. If the grid seems blurry or wavy, it may mean that you have wet AMD.

To download an Amsler grid, click here.

To view the Amsler grid, you need the Adobe^® Reader^®. If you don't have it, you can get it for FREE. To download Adobe^® Reader^®, click here.

To have a magnetic Amsler grid mailed to you, Join Eye on AMD now.

Dilated eye exam. First, drops are put in your eye. The drops help to widen (dilate) the pupils. Then, using a special magnifying lens, your eye doctor can look at your retina and optic nerve. This test is important to diagnose wet AMD.

Tonometry. This test is done to determine the pressure within the eye, or the intraocular pressure (IOP). A tonometer exerts a little pressure on the front of the eye to do so.

Fluorescein angiography (FA). For this test, a special dye is injected into your arm. As the dye passes through the blood vessels in your retina, pictures are taken of the back of your eye. This test lets an eye doctor see the blood vessels of the retina, which is critical to assessing your AMD.

Optical coherence tomography (OCT). This test is similar to an ultrasound but it uses light instead of sound to create detailed images of your retinal tissue. With OCT, your eye doctor can see any changes in eye tissues, including the macula, and determine treatment.

If you find out you have wet AMD...

There are some things you can do. First, make sure you are seeing a retina specialist. These are the doctors that specialize in treating wet AMD. Then, get educated about AMD and its treatments. These days, your eye doctor can do even more to prevent your vision from getting worse. In many cases, he or she can offer you LUCENTIS^® (ranibizumab injection)—an FDA-approved treatment shown to improve or maintain vision in wet AMD. Finally, ask for help. Reach out to family and friends who want to help you. If you need to be driven to an appointment, be direct and ask someone to drive you. There may be support groups in your area. Your eye doctor may be able to put you in contact with support groups and other assistance programs.