AMD has three stages:

Early AMD:  People with early AMD have either several small drusen or a few medium-sized drusen. At this stage, there are no symptoms and no vision loss.

Intermediate AMD:  People with intermediate AMD have either many medium-sized drusen or one or more large drusen.

Intermediate AMD may cause some vision loss, however, most people will not experience any symptoms.

Late AMD:  In addition to drusen, people with late AMD have vision loss from damage to the macula.

There are two types of late AMD:

Dry AMD is a gradual breakdown of the light-sensitive cells in the macula and these changes cause vision loss.

Wet AMD is treated with injections into the eye.

Wet AMD is the growth of abnormal blood vessels underneath the retina. These vessels can leak fluid and blood, which may lead to swelling and damage of the macula. The damage may be rapid and severe. It is possible to have both dry and wet AMD in the same eye, and either condition can appear first.

Understanding the difference is important for the course of treatment your doctor will recommend. Wet AMD is treated with injections into the eye.

The wet form consists of about 10% of AMD cases and usually presents with some distortion of vision and lines might look wavy instead of straight. All of the current medical therapies have been directed at the wet form of AMD, including injections.

The dry form is the most prevalent representing 90% of the AMD cases diagnosed each year and it typically progresses more slowly than the wet.

There are no prescription drugs available for dry AMD and it is recommended to take an AREDS 2 based supplement like Preserve Mac Forte Advanced.