Has My Dry AMD Changed to Wet? Part 1

It’s been 10 years since my diagnosis with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in both eyes. My father had the wet form, and I’ve always known I’m at high risk of this happening to me, too.

Noticing a change on my Amsler grid

All these years, I have been using the Amsler grid fairly regularly. I know where my little wiggles and gray spots appear with each eye.

Recently, I thought I saw a difference on the grid. It was just a very light gray shadow, not too big. I could actually see through it. I went into a bit of denial mode and cleaned my glasses. Then I took the grid off the fridge and went over to the window for more light. I checked again, and the patch was still there.

I knew this was different, but told myself it was no big deal. It was only a light gray patch. I couldn’t even see it if I looked at the television or out of the window. It wasn’t hindering my view at all. I was trying to talk myself out of it, and I knew exactly what I was doing.

The next day, I saw my optometrist

Then my conscience kicked in. I remembered all the times we’ve discussed this issue in our Macular Degeneration Community. The advice is always to go and see the specialist if you notice a change in the grid. It’s not always as easy as it sounds. I’d been back to the specialist once before when I had seen a change. It turned out not to be serious, but the doctor stressed he was glad I came to him.

The next day, I made an appointment with my optometrist. I could get in to see her straight away, and she’s in the next suburb. I still intended to see the specialist in the city, but I thought I might get some reassurance from the optometrist in the meantime.

The optometrist examined me and performed an optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan. What I got from her was not reassurance, but a recommendation to go to my retina specialist (RS) as soon as possible.

When I got home, I phoned the RS, and the receptionist gave me an appointment to see the doctor early the next week.

Preparing for my retina specialist appointment

So, the following week, I set off for the city. Getting to my RS involves a combination of walking, bus or train, tram, and more walking. I don’t mind – it’s an excuse to go into the "Big Smoke," which I don’t do very often these days. I was more than an hour early, thanks to the "early gene" I inherited from my mother. This "gene" has come in very handy lots of times. Thanks, Mom!

As I sat at a café near the surgery, I watched the city workers scurrying about in their black clothes and white sneakers. It was still too early to go in for the appointment. My hands were shaking.

"This may be my last cup of coffee as a person with dry macular degeneration," I thought. But whatever was to happen next, I knew I’d done the right thing.

This article is Part 1 of a 2-part series. Read Part 2 here.