Diagnostic Tests for Age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration: Diagnostic Tests
The list of diagnostic tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Age-related macular degeneration
includes:
Age-related macular degeneration Tests: Book Excerpts
Home Diagnostic Testing
These home medical tests may be relevant to Age-related macular degeneration:
- Vision & Eye Health: Home Testing:
Age-related macular degeneration Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Age-related macular degeneration:
Are You at Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI (Excerpt)
Your eye care professional may suspect AMD if you are over age 60
and have had recent changes in your central vision. To look for
signs of the disease, he or she will use eye drops to dilate, or
enlarge, your pupils. Dilating the pupils allows your eye care
professional to view the back of the eye better.
You may also be asked to view an Amsler grid, a pattern that
looks like a checkerboard. Early changes in your central vision will
cause the grid to appear distorted, a sign of AMD. (Source: excerpt from Are You at Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI)
Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI (Excerpt)
Eye care professionals detect AMD during an eye examination that
includes:
Visual acuity test: This eye chart test measures how well
you see at various distances.
Pupil dilation: This examination enables your eye care
professional to see more of the retina and look for signs of AMD. To
do this, drops are placed into the eye to dilate (widen) the pupil.
After the examination, your vision may remain blurred for several
hours.
One of the most common early signs of AMD is the presence of
drusen. Drusen are tiny yellow deposits in the retina. Your
eye care professional can see them during an eye examination. The
presence of drusen alone does not indicate a disease, but it might
mean that the eye is at risk for developing more severe AMD.
While conducting the examination, your eye care professional may
ask you to look at an Amsler grid. This grid is a pattern
that resembles a checkerboard. You will be asked to cover one eye
and stare at a black dot in the center of the grid. While staring at
the dot, you may notice that the straight lines in the pattern
appear wavy to you. You may notice that some of the lines are
missing. These may be signs of wet AMD (See Amsler Grid
below.)
If your eye care professional suspects you have wet AMD, you may
need to have a test called fluorescein angiography. In this
test, a special dye is injected into a vein in your arm. Pictures
are then taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels in the
retina. The photos help your eye care professional evaluate leaking
blood vessels to determine whether they can be treated. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration: NEI)
Diagnostic Tests for Age-related macular degeneration: Online Medical Books
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Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the diagnostic tests for Age-related macular degeneration.
SCOTOMA:
DIAGNOSTIC WORKUP
(Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs)
This should include a careful eye examination with slit lamp, tonometry, and visual field examinations. If the initial findings suggest an ocular disorder, referral to an ophthalmologist should be made. If the neurologic examination is abnormal, the patient should be referred to a neurologist, rather than ordering expensive tests such as a CT scan, MRI scan, VEP studies, angiography, and spinal fluid examinations.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Algorithmic Diagnosis of Symptoms and Signs, 2003
Scotoma:
History and physical examination
(Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition))
First, identify and characterize the scotoma, using such visual field tests as the tangent screen examination, the Goldmann perimeter test, and the automated perimetry test. Two other visual field tests — confrontation testing and the Amsler grid — may also help in identifying a scotoma.
Next, test the patient’s visual acuity and inspect his pupils for size, equality, and reaction to light. An ophthalmoscopic examination and measurement of intraocular pressure are necessary.
Explore the patient’s medical history, noting especially eye disorders, vision problems, or chronic systemic disorders. Find out if he takes medications or uses eyedrops.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition), 2006
Scotoma:
History and physical examination
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
First, identify and characterize the scotoma, using such visual field tests as the tangent screen examination, the Goldmann perimeter test, and the automated perimetry test. Two other visual field tests—confrontation testing and the Amsler grid—may also help in identifying a scotoma.
Next, test the patient’s visual acuity and inspect his pupils for size, equality, and reaction to light. An ophthalmoscopic examination and measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) are necessary.
Explore the patient’s medical history, noting especially any eye disorders, vision problems, or chronic systemic disorders. Find out if he takes medications or uses eyedrops.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Scotoma:
Physical examination
(The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter)
A. Visual acuity. The vision of each eye should be assessed with spectacles or contact lenses in each eye independently. Central scotomas are seen with optic nerve, macular disease, or (rarely) an occipital tip lesion; and Snellen visual acuity will be decreased.
B. Visual fields. Confrontation field test is performed with each eye independently. Briefly flash several fingers in each of the four quadrants. Bilateral field loss in the same field of vision in each eye indicates injury posterior to the chiasm. Bitemporal field defects are seen with chiasmal lesions (pituitary masses, craniopharyngiomas, and others). Monocular field defects are seen in retina and optic nerve disease.
C. Pupil examination. The presence of a prominent APD, which implies optic nerve injury, will help to differentiate central scotomas caused by macular disease. An APD is commonly seen with optic neuritis, optic neuropathy (ischemic and traumatic), asymmetric glaucomatous damage, optic nerve tumors, and central retinal artery or vein occlusion. An APD is not seen in early papilledema and minimally with macular degeneration, macular holes, or choroidopathy.
D. Fundus examination. Direct ophthalmoscopy can give a quick assessment of the red reflex (i.e., a dim red reflex in a diabetic with vitreous hemorrhage). Vitreous floaters can occasionally be seen as shadows in the red reflex. Examine the nerve for edema, pallor, or glaucomatous cupping. Macular scarring or pigmentary change is most commonly seen with macular degeneration.
E. Other examinations. A neurologic assessment is needed for a patient with bilateral field loss, screening for contralateral paresis and other focal deficits, palpation of the temporal artery for tenderness or diminished pulse if the history suggests giant cell arteritis, as is auscultation of the carotids for bruits and the heart for a murmur in a patient with amaurosis fugax or stroke. Glaucoma can be screened with tonometry. Check arms and legs for signs of intravenous drug abuse.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter, 2000
Scotoma:
Physical assessment
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Test the patient’s visual acuity and inspect his pupils for size, equality, and reaction to light. An ophthalmoscopic examination and measurement of intraocular pressure (IOP) are necessary. Then identify and characterize the scotoma using such visual field tests as the tangent screen examination, the Goldmann perimeter test, and the automated perimetry test. Two other visual field tests — confrontation testing and the Amsler grid — may also help in identifying a scotoma.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Scotoma:
History and physical examination
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
Explore the patient's medical history, noting especially eye disorders, vision problems, or chronic systemic disorders. Find out if he takes medications or uses eyedrops.
Identify and characterize the scotoma, using such visual field tests as the tangent screen examination, the Goldmann perimeter test, and the automated perimetry test. Two other visual field tests—confrontation testing and the Amsler grid—may also help in identifying a scotoma.
Next, test the patient's visual acuity and inspect his pupils for size, equality, and reaction to light. An ophthalmoscopic examination and measurement of intraocular pressure are necessary.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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