As you age, you might find your vision changing. While some changes might require nothing other than a pair of drugstore reading glasses, others could indicate something more serious.

Conditions that could affect your vision include AMD, cataracts, or diabetic retinopathy.

Medical professionals screen for macular degeneration because it’s more common as you age. Macular degeneration affects the macula, a small part of the retina in the back of your eye.

Regular eye exams are crucial for finding macular degeneration and other conditions early, before they lead to vision loss. One simple at-home option is an Amsler grid test.

The Amsler grid is a square-shaped graph with uniform lines and a dot in the center. The grid will appear distorted or nonuniform in the center areas under certain conditions.

Marc Amsler, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Zurich’s Eye Clinic, developed the grid in the 1950s.

Amsler grid testShare on Pinterest
Amsler grid.

Take the test by looking at the grid and following these instructions from the American Academy of Ophthalmology:

  1. Hold it 12 to 15 inches from your face in good light. Wear any glasses you’d typically wear to read.
  2. Cover one eye.
  3. Look directly at the center dot with your uncovered eye and keep your eye focused on it.
  4. While looking directly at the center dot, notice in your peripheral vision whether all grid lines appear straight, or if any lines or areas look blurry, wavy, dark, or missing.
  5. Follow the same steps with the other eye.
  6. Repeat once daily, as macular degeneration causes gradual changes over time.

If any parts of the grid are missing or look blurry, wavy, distorted, or darker than the rest, contact a healthcare professional as soon as possible for a checkup.

The Amsler grid test won’t find every vision problem you may have, but it can indicate some serious ones besides macular degeneration, including:

  • Central serous chorioretinopathy: This is a condition in which fluid builds up under your retina and can cause it to detach, causing vision loss.
  • Development of choroidal neovascular membrane: This defect occurs in many conditions, including macular degeneration, presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrome, and myopic macular degeneration.
  • Macular pucker: Also known as an epiretinal membrane, it can cause distortions in your central field of vision due to a thin layer of scar tissue that forms inside the retina.
  • Acute macular neuroretinopathy: This is a rare condition that most commonly affects young women.
  • Cystoid macular edema: Cystoid macular edema develops when blood vessels in your retina leak fluid into the macula, causing it to swell.
  • Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy: This condition occurs due to a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve.

Early detection is important in preventing and treating vision loss. You can take the Amsler grid test at home, but regular checkups can uncover other potential vision problems and health conditions.

If some conditions aren’t identified early, they could lead to conditions such as cataracts, eye complications from diabetes, and glaucoma.

The Amsler grid will tell you whether you have distortions in your vision, which can help lead to a diagnosis of macular degeneration. 



The grid may appear distorted, wavy, or blurry, with dark spots.

You can take the Amsler grid test at home every day to identify small changes in your vision that indicate a problem. The test isn’t a substitute for regular eye exams, which can detect a range of conditions before they worsen.