If you’ve been diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), monitoring your vision daily can help you spot new or worsening symptoms.

This matters because AMD can progress to geographic atrophy, an advanced stage of the dry form, or develop into wet AMD, which can cause rapid vision changes.

In this article, we’ll cover ways to monitor vision changes and understand how your vision is changing. We’ll also tell you when you need to contact your ophthalmologist.

🗳️ How do you monitor changes in your vision between eye doctor appointments?

I use an Amsler grid

I use a vision-monitoring app or device

I watch for changes during everyday activities

I don’t currently monitor my vision at home

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Look at Straight Lines Around Your House

One way to monitor your vision is to look at straight lines around your house.

Since AMD can make straight lines look wavy or otherwise distorted, tracking how they appear for each eye can help you monitor your vision.

If you use this method, talk to your ophthalmology team about how to set up your testing area. They may want you to do the test in a well-lit area and in the same place, looking at the same lines, every day.

For instance, you may want to focus on the edges of a television or computer monitor, the line where a piece of furniture meets a wall, or the sides of a door.

Use Apps Designed for Vision Monitoring

Some apps for your phone or tablet can help you monitor your vision for AMD. These vary in accuracy and usefulness, so talk to your eye care provider before relying on one of these apps to monitor vision changes.

That said, some people find these apps helpful. Some of the apps you may want to consider include:

• OdySight — This app is available by prescription only and shares your results directly with your doctor. The app partners with the AMD Association.
• MyRetina — This app offers the Amsler grid test and other tests to iOS users. It tracks your results over time, making them easier to share with your doctor.
• Alleye — This is another app that allows for self-testing and tracking results. If your doctor uses this app, they’ll help you get on it and make sure they get your results.

If your doctor wants you to use an app to monitor your vision, make sure they show you how they want you to use it so you get the most accurate results.

Try a Monitoring Journal

If you’re uncomfortable using apps to track your vision over time, or you don’t like doing it on your phone, you can order a free journal called KeepSight, which aims to make monitoring your vision fun and helps you notice and track even subtle vision changes.

Developed by eye experts, this journal has been shown to be more effective than using only the Amsler grid to monitor your vision.

However, KeepSight is designed to support your doctor’s treatment plan, not replace it. It is meant to help you notice changes so you can bring them up to your doctor when you need to.

Get an At-Home Monitoring Device

You may also be able to get an at-home monitoring device, called ForeseeHome, if covered by your insurance. During research, it was proven so effective at monitoring AMD that the clinical trial for it was cut short.

You can use this device anywhere from eight times a month to every day. The test takes only three minutes, and you look into the device with one eye at a time. It then sends a report directly to your doctor.

If the device detects something concerning that your doctor needs to know about before reviewing it, it will alert them immediately.

For some people, using a device like this could take some of the stress out of monitoring their vision. Instead of relying on your memory and interpretation to notice subtle changes, the device will let you know when you need additional medical care.

When Should You Call Your Doctor About Vision Changes With AMD?

You may notice both gradual and sudden vision changes. Both need to be reported, but they’re handled differently.

Note gradual changes and report them at your next visit with a retina specialist. They may indicate some changes in your condition, but they don’t mean you need urgent care. These may be changes like:

• Needing more light to read than you previously did
• Slight worsening or changes to symptoms you’ve had before
• Seeing colors differently over a few weeks or months — such as colors not seeming as vivid or bright

Sudden vision changes, on the other hand, mean you need to talk to your eye doctor promptly to receive appropriate attention. These may look like:

• A new light or dark spot in your central vision
• New or changing distortions when you look at the Amsler grid
• An effect like a curtain or shadow across your vision
• Many new floaters all at once or a flash of light across your vision
• Sudden blurriness
• A new blind spot, especially if it develops over a few hours or days
• Any fast decline in your ability to see details

If you experience any of these, contact your AMD doctor right away. They can help you get the treatment you need as soon as possible.