At the optician recently I had an oct picture taken.The test with lights shining in the eye revealed that the optician could see Drusen there as well as oct. When she gave me an Amsler grid my right eye could see wavy lines I was told to monitor that and go back if there are changes, I am worried I have macular degeneration shouldn’t I be having further tests?
Thank you
Hi ameliapond. I would have thought you would have been referred to a consultant at your local eye hospital, which is what happened to me. You could check with one of the Macular Society administrators whose email address should be on this page.
Thank you , I have been worrying about this as I have found out more since I had opticians 3weeks ago…on Google which has been helpful and led me to the macular society, feel more should if been done for a referral. Shall contact my GP surgery
I would go back and speak to the manager and ask for referral to your local eye hospital. Don’t mess around, this is your eyes.
Thank you
I’m surprised the optician didn’t refer you to an eye clinic. If I was you, I would go back to the optician and ask for a referral. If no joy then see your GP who can arrange for a referral.
Hope you get a referral soon, as they do say that if it’s wet AMD the sooner treatment starts the better. Best wishes to you.
As already said you need to get checked out at your local eye clinic. This happened to me and wavy lines need investigation. Hope all goes well for you.
I'm surprised .My optician spotted suspected Wet macular leakage on routine test,long before I saw any wavy lines or noticed anything at all and considered it that important that he phoned the eye clinic there and then and I had appointment in 2 hours ,and injections in under a week .And that's with me not noticing anything myself . Later on due to COVID and eye clinic cancellations I missed a couple of regular eye tests that would have picked up that I needed injections ,I only new when I developed wavy lines .For wet macular the injections normally don't improve the vision but prevent it getting worse ,so checks are.important.If it was me I would go straight to eye clinic outpatients .
Dear ameliapond,
It is normal for some people to have small drusen as they age and this does not mean they have macular degeneration. If there are more significant changes to the retina such as a lot of drusen, large drusen or areas of colour abnormality then they may be diagnosed with dry AMD. You would not normally be referred to the hospital with dry AMD as there is currently no treatment for this condition. If the optometrist sees any signs of potential wet AMD, then a rapid referral will be made to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Symptoms are similar for both dry and wet AMD. You can phone your optician to ask if any diagnosis has been made.
It is important to report any changes on your amsler grid to your optometrist.
Please refer to the link below for more information on AMD
macularsociety.org/macular-...
The Macular Society Helpline is open 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday on 0300 3030 111. Alternatively, you can contact us via: help@macularsociety.org
Best wishes,
Carol
Macular Society Helpline
Hi Ameliapond,
I'm sorry that I only saw this post today.
Please take Peep1253's advice!
OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography and is the name of the scan that SpecSavers and other opticians now offer as part of an annual eyetest. It provides a detailed image of the retina and subretinal tissue and is used to distinguish between various eye conditions, particularly dry and wet AMD.
In its early stages, dry AMD doesn't usually result in wavy lines on an Amsler grid, whereas wet AMD usually does, because the fluid leakage distorts the retina.
The Amsler grid is a very difficult tool to use, since it relies upon the patient spotting changes in a grid pattern over a period of time without any way to record what they see on each occasion. However, if you look at a vertical object, such as a lamp post, or a horizontal object, such as the top of a large television screen, and either or both are wavy, the chances are that you have wet AMD and this should be treated immediately.
If I were you I would find your nearest eye hospital and go to the A&E department as soon as possible and say that your optician thinks that you have AMD and that straight lines appear wavy to you. You may have a long wait, but you will be seen by a professional who will be able to tell you what the issue is and, if appropriate, initiate a course of treatment.
To save your sight you must act quickly in case you have wet AMD.
Best wishes,
Paul
Moorfields, City Road, London have an eye A&E. Strongly suggest you search with a view to going direct for an assessment. Don't, to put it bluntly, piss about with waiting for NHS referrals when it comes to your eyes.
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