10 Questions About Macular Degeneration: Expert Q&A

Almost 20 million American adults live with some form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the future has never been more promising. "We've witnessed such a huge evolution of treatment for AMD over just the last decade," says Gennady Landa, MD, director of Retina Services at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York City. Landa and Abdhish Bhavsar, MD, a spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an ophthalmologist at Retina Consultants of Minnesota, answer some of your biggest questions about what it's like to live with AMD.

It's tough to predict, especially since there are newer drugs available to slow progression. "If you have mild macular degeneration, the risk is pretty low that it will progress significantly over the next five years," Bhavsar says. Your risk goes up the more advanced your AMD is. You can help to slow down AMD progression with regular visits to your eye doctor. "That way, if the worst-case scenario happens – bleeding or leaking – we can act quickly to treat it," he says. 

"A diagnosis of AMD does not mean that you will go blind in five years," Bhavsar says. What does happen is that you may notice a slow, gradual loss of your central vision. But there's good news. "Today's treatments often slow down AMD progression enough that people are able to stay independent and even continue to drive," Bhavsar says. "The earlier your AMD is diagnosed, the better your prognosis."

Landa says there are three important things to do:

Keep up with your appointments. "Even with early-stage AMD, you still need to see your eye doctor every six to 12 months," he says. 

Take a special supplement. AREDS2 has been shown to slow down the progression from intermediate to advanced AMD.

Lead a healthy lifestyle. "If you smoke, stop," Landa says. Exercise, wear sunglasses outside, and get other health conditions like high blood pressure under control. This can slow progression.

It depends on what stage of AMD you have. "Most eye specialists like to see patients with early-stage AMD every six to 12 months," Bhavsar says. If you have intermediate AMD, you'll usually visit your eye doctor every six months, and if you have advanced disease, you may see your doctor as often as once a month. You should also see your eye doctor at least once a year if you're over the age of 50 and have a family history of AMD, Landa says.

If you have early-stage AMD with no symptoms, watch for blurry or fuzzy central vision. Remember to check one eye at a time. (Cover the second eye while testing.) If you have intermediate AMD and notice sudden wavy lines or that your vision is worsening, it may mean your dry AMD has progressed to wet AMD, a more serious form of the condition. "With wet AMD, blood vessels grow on the retina," Landa says. "If they bleed, you can lose vision rapidly." Call your eye doctor right away if you have any of these symptoms. 

"They usually don't improve your vision, but prevent it from getting worse," Bhavsar says. Patients with wet AMD are treated with injections called anti-VEGF drugs to lower the number of abnormal blood vessels in the retina. Research suggests that just under 20% of patients notice vision improvement. People with a specific form of dry AMD can be treated with injections, but they won't improve vision. "They slow the overall thinning of the area in the back of your retina, which slows down AMD progression," Bhavsar says.

Supplements won't help everyone diagnosed with AMD. But if you have intermediate or late AMD, a specific supplement called AREDS2 may help. It contains vitamins C and E, as well as copper, zinc, lutein, and zeaxanthin. "Just make sure that you buy a supplement that says AREDS2 on the label," Landa says. "These have the ingredients in the right amounts to help slow vision loss from AMD."

"The first step is to be active in your lifestyle, treatment, and monitoring," Bhavsar says. See your eye doctor regularly and follow your treatment plan. Ask your doctor to refer you to a low vision specialist if you get vision loss. "They show you how to use your remaining vision so that you can function better," Bhavsar says. They may recommend magnifying devices, for example, or work with you to improve home lighting so you can move around safely.

One in four adults with vision loss have depression or anxiety. It's also been linked to loneliness and isolation. "The most important thing to remember is that most people with AMD don't go blind," Landa says. "I reassure patients that they can learn how to use their peripheral, or side, vision to help them do activities like read, watch TV, and recognize faces."

There are several clinical trials available that look at promising new treatments for AMD. "Some studies look at a tiny wireless chip that's implanted in the back of the eye to partially restore vision," Landa says. An October 2025 study found it was able to help restore central vision well enough so that patients could read. Researchers are also exploring gene therapy as a "one and done" approach.