Risk Factors and Symptoms: Wet age-related Macular Degeneration

Age and family history play a role

Risk factors for wet AMD include: ^1,2

diagnosis of dry macular degeneration
age (65+)
a family history of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
a history of smoking
high BMI (body mass index), a measure of body fat based on height and weight for adults

Wet AMD can cause the following symptoms:¹

Distorted and/or blurry vision
An empty or dark area in the middle of vision
Objects that appear to be the wrong size or shape
Perceiving a waviness to straight lines
Incorrect perception of colours
Visual difficulty with everyday activities, like reading, watching TV or driving
Wet macular degeneration typically starts in one eye, and, in some people, may eventually affect both eyes

All of these symptoms can appear and worsen rather quickly, so it is important to set up and keep regular check-ups with your eye doctor.

Cheung CM, Laude A, Yeo I, et al. Systemic, Ocular and Genetic Risk Factors for Age-related Macular Degeneration and Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in Singaporeans. Sci Rep. 2017; 7:41386.
Risk Factors for Macular Degeneration. American Macular Degeneration Foundation website. Available at: https://www.macular.org/risk-factors. Accessed July 2019
National Eye Institute. Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Available at https://nei.nih.gov/eyedata/amd. Accessed July 2019.
Bressler NM. Early detection and treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 2002;15(2):142-152