Is distorted vision straight lines looking slightly wavy/bent ALWAYS macular degeneration?

[Amybaker217]

Can an astigmatism cause this too?

[Macular_1]

Hello Amy,

I am afraid it would be impossible to tell. It could be macular degeneration, but it could equally be something else.

The only way to be certain if you have developed macular degeneration would be to be examined by an eye care professional.

I recommend that you start by getting your optometrist at your optician to check you over.

Best wishes

Macular Society

[Amybaker217 in reply to Macular_1]

I am 25 years old my optician said I just have an astigmatism is this possible? I've been stressing out for over a week.

[GrittyReads]

I agree that you need to see an optometrist or optician to have this checked out.

However there are other things it can be - less serious. I have a macular pucker (or epiretinal membrane) which I've had for years without any problems, although it has to be monitored, and you have to watch for certain symptoms. However, you need to find a really good optometrist, as the one I was seeing just got annoyed with me, when I kept saying that none of the contact lenses he was trying me with, worked ... yet he had not spotted the problem.

Having said that .. don't pay hundreds to a posh optician, which was what I then did. Yet a friend quickly got herself referred to the NHS when hers was spotted. It might also be astigmatism.

Hope this helps, but find a good optician and if they are worried, get a referral.

[Amybaker217 in reply to GrittyReads]

My optician said my eye was in perfect condition and that it was an astigmatism... I wrote about this on another website and they said my optician is wrong for and it's not possible for it to be that my optician is ringing me Friday to reassure me... he didn't do a dilated eye test though

[Meresa99]

It can also be caused by epiretinal membrane (aka "macular pucker" or "cellophane maculopathy"). I was diagnosed about ten years ago (mainly in the right eye) and it has been relatively stable since then. Mine produces a mild diagonal distortion about 3-5 squares out form the center of the grid (superior temporal and inferior temporal). Like you I was terrified of macular degeneration or glaucoma. I have had multiple visual field tests and have no loss of vision, save for a small macular hole in my left eye that I've had since childhood (unrelated to the epiretinal membrane in the other eye).

The good news about epiretinal membrane is that this condition is relatively benign, and can be corrected by surgery. However this is not done unless the distortion become severe enough to affect activities such as reading and driving. The surgery can increase risks of retinal detachment at a later date.

As always, you should seek out a good ophthalmologist, who can definitively determine what is really going on with your eyes. If it is something more serious, then early intervention can go a long way to preserving as much of your vision as possible.

Keep us posted as to what you find out. Best of luck!