Many people do not realize that they have a macular problem until blurred vision becomes obvious. Your ophthalmologist or optometrist can detect early stages of macular degeneration during a medical eye examination that includes viewing the macula with an ophthalmoscope and performing a simple vision test in which you look at a grid resembling graph paper. Patients over age 50 should receive a dilated eye exam at least every two years in order to allow for early diagnosis of macular degeneration.

Sometimes special photographs, called angiograms, are taken to find abnormal blood vessels under the retina. Fluorescent dye is injected into your arm and your eye is photographed as the dye passes through the blood vessels in the back of the eye.

Despite ongoing medical research, there is no cure yet for "dry" macular degeneration. Some doctors believe that nutritional supplements may slow macular degeneration, and a recent study sponsored by the National Eye Institute supports this theory. Treatment of dry macular degeneration focuses primarily on helping a person find ways to cope with visual impairment.

While there is also no cure for wet macular degeneration, several new treatment options have become available in the past five years, and additional options are being researched quite aggressively.