What are the main signs and symptoms of macular degeneration?

    Written by:
    Morgan Pfiffner, Meredith Yetter

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    by:

    Nick Milazzo, James Gaylor
    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    Macular degeneration progresses through 3 stages: early, intermediate, and late; symptoms range from no noticeable effects in the early stage to blurred vision and central blindness in the late stage. The late stage can be further divided into dry and wet forms; the wet form is less common but more likely to cause blindness.

    Macular degeneration is classified into one of three stages: early, intermediate, or late. Signs and symptoms vary according to stage.

    Early stage: Plaque deposits known as drusen accumulate in the retina. Eyesight is typically unaffected.

    Intermediate stage: Drusen grow larger in size. Blurring of central vision and difficulty seeing in low light may occur, but most people experience no noticeable symptoms.

    Late/Advanced stage: Drusen grow even larger in size. At this stage most people experience visual symptoms such as blurred vision, loss of color perception, difficulty seeing in low light, and central blindness.

    Additionally, the late stage is further classified as either dry (a.k.a. geographic atrophy) or wet/neovascular macular degeneration. Wet/neovascular macular degeneration differs from the dry form in that it features abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. This form is less common, but much more likely to result in blindness.[1]