Most of the people don’t realize that they have a macular
problem until they have blurred their vision. The macula is in the center of
the retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye, and is
responsible for central vision. Thus, the deterioration of the macula is called
age-related macular generation or ARMD. Regular visit to an ophthalmologist may
help to detect problems or early stages of macular degeneration before you are
even aware of them. The initial tests for ARMD include measurement of your
visual and dilated examination of the retina. There are four main Most of the
people don’t realize that they have a macular problem until they have blurred
their vision. The macula is in the center of the retina, the light-sensitive
layer of tissue at the back of the eye, and is responsible for central vision.
Thus, the deterioration of the macula is called age-related macular generation
or ARMD. Regular visit to an ophthalmologist may help to detect problems or
early stages of macular degeneration before you are even aware of them. The
initial tests for ARMD include measurement of your visual and dilated
examination of the retina. There are four main ARMD tests that have been widely used to diagnose and completely
cure the macula problem. Here are the top four tests:
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Amsler grid
The very first ARMD test involves
asking you to look at a special grid, known as an Amsler grid. This grid is
made up of both vertical and horizontal lines, with a dot in the center. When
you do this test, if the lines are normal then you don’t suffer from ARMD, but
if the lines appear faded, broken or distorted, then you have a macula problem.
As the macula controls your central field of vision, it's usually the lines
nearest to the centre of the grid that appear distorted.
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Fundus photography
A fundus camera is a special camera which is used to click
clean and detailed images of the inner part of your eye. This camera can
capture three dimensional images of your macula. The ophthalmologist can then
have a look at the pictures and detect the problematic areas in the different
layers of the retina.
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Angiography
This is a type of test in which a dye is injected into a
vein in the arm. This test recognizes that vessels which cannot be seen through
the naked eyes, and which may need to be treated with the laser or
photocoagulation. Given below are two types of angiography:
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Fluorescein angiography
A fluorescein angiography is a medical
procedure in which a fluorescent dye is injected into the blood vessel. This
injected dye highlights the blood vessels in the back of the eye so they can be
photographed. This test is often used to cure the macula problem.
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Indocyanine green angiography
The technique used for indocyanine green
angiography or ICG is the same as for fluorescein angiography, but the dye used
is different.
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Optical coherence tomography
Optical coherence tomography or OCT is a test in which
special rays of light is been used to scan the retina. It is a non-invasive
imaging test that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of your
retina, the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye. This test just
like the fundus camera can also provide detailed information about your macula.
