Super resolution microscopic investigation of human eye tissue affected by AMD Diagnosis of age-related<unk>  depends on signs in the macula, not necessarily vision. Early diagnosis of AMD can prevent further visual deterioration and potentially improve vision. Diagnosis of dry (or early stage) AMD may include the following clinical examinations as well as procedures and tests: * The transition from dry to wet AMD can happen rapidly, and if it is left untreated can lead to legal blindness in as little as six months. To prevent this from occurring and to initiate preventive strategies earlier in the disease process, dark adaptation testing may be performed. A dark adaptometer can detect subclinical AMD at least three years earlier than it is clinically evident. *There is a loss of contrast sensitivity, so that contours, shadows, and color vision are less vivid. The loss in contrast sensitivity can be quickly and easily measured by a contrast sensitivity test like Pelli Robson performed either at home or by an eye specialist. * When viewing an Amsler grid, some straight lines appear wavy and some patches appear blank * When viewing a Snellen chart, at least 2 lines decline * In dry<unk> , which occurs in 85–90 percent of AMD cases, drusen spots can be seen in Fundus photography * Using an electroretinogram, points in the macula with a weak or absent response compared to a normal eye may be found *Farnsworth-Munsell 100 hue test and Maximum Color Contrast Sensitivity test (MCCS) for assessing color acuity and color contrast sensitivity *Optical coherence tomography is now used by most ophthalmologists in the diagnosis and the follow-up evaluation of the response to treatment with antiangiogenic drugs. Diagnosis of wet (or late stage) AMD may include the following in addition to the above tests: * Preferential hyperacuity perimetry changes (for wet AMD). Preferential hyperacuity perimetry is a test that detects drastic changes in vision and involves the macula being stimulated with distorted patterns of dots and the patient identification of where in the visual field this occurs. * In wet<unk> , angiography can visualize the leakage of bloodstream behind the macula. Fluorescein angiography allows for the identification and localization of abnormal vascular processes. Histology * Pigmentary changes in the retina – In addition to the pigmented cells in the iris (the colored part of the eye), there are pigmented cells beneath the retina. As these cells break down and release their pigment, dark clumps of released pigment and later, areas that are less pigmented may appear * Exudative changes: hemorrhages in the eye, hard exudates, subretinal/sub-RPE/intraretinal fluid * Drusen, tiny accumulations of extracellular material that build up on the retina. While there is a tendency for drusen to be blamed for the progressive loss of vision, drusen deposits can be present in the retina without vision loss. Some patients with large deposits of drusen have normal visual acuity. If normal retinal reception and image transmission are sometimes possible in a retina when high concentrations of drusen are present, then, even if drusen can be implicated in the loss of visual function, there must be at least one other factor that accounts for the loss of vision.
Macular degeneration
Optic disc drusen
Macular scarring
Retinal degeneration 
Retinal vasculitis
Macular corneal dystrophy
Autoimmune optic neuropathy
Corneal neovascularization