If you have geographic atrophy (GA), you’re likely already working with a retina specialist or low-vision specialist for treatment. But it’s also important to schedule regular eye exams with an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
These types of eye doctors can help your care team track the progression of GA, identify new treatment options, and catch other common age-related eye conditions that may crop up. Staying on top of routine eye care can also help protect your vision and improve your quality of life with GA.
Keep reading to learn more about how regular visits with an optometrist can help you manage GA, plus what to expect at your next visit.
After you’ve been diagnosed with GA, your optometrist or ophthalmologist will still want to see you for regular checkups to:
- Track the progression of GA. You may not always notice changes to your vision at first. “Usually, geographic atrophy progresses pretty slowly,” says Meenal Agarwal, OD, an optometrist at Dr. Meenal Agarwal & Associates in Toronto. But your optometrist or ophthalmologist can spot subtle changes and address them before they become more problematic.
- Check for other vision issues. Other eye conditions may crop up alongside GA as you age, such as cataracts or glaucoma. Your optometrist or ophthalmologist can monitor you for these types of issues, says Dr. Agarwal.
- Talk about your quality of life. With GA, you may feel resigned to not doing things you used to, but this shouldn’t be the case, says Agarwal. “Let your optometrist know about your lifestyle and the things you really enjoy doing,” she says.
- Adjust your low-vision plan, if needed. Depending on the progression of GA — as well as how much your current management plan for low vision is helping — you may benefit from new gadgets or assistive devices to accommodate your vision.
During a routine eye exam, your optometrist or ophthalmologist will likely perform:
- A Comprehensive Eye Exam “During a routine visit with someone who has GA, we’re doing everything that we do on someone who doesn’t have GA, such as checking your vision prescription and eye pressure,” says Agarwal. This can include a dilated eye exam to check your retina and macula. But rather than the standard eye chart testing, optometrists will perform functional vision testing to see how well you can perform everyday tasks, taking into account factors such as lighting.
- An Amsler Grid Test You probably already have an Amsler grid — a paper with a checkerboard pattern and a dot in the middle — to use at home. With one eye closed, if the grid lines look blurry, that means your vision may have changed. It’s important to do this test on a daily basis to check for changes. Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will have you do the same test during each visit.
- A Contrast Sensitivity Test People with GA also need to be tested for contrast sensitivity. “This is your ability to distinguish an object from its background,” says Agarwal. Monitoring contrast sensitivity can help detect vision changes and GA progression that can occur even when visual acuity (sharpness of vision) remains stable.
- A Reading Speed Assessment The speed at which you can read helps your optometrist monitor how the current treatment plan is working and track the progression of GA.
- Specialized Imaging Tests Your optometrist or ophthalmologist will likely perform other tests specific to GA progression. These include fundus autofluorescence, which captures images of the back of the eye to look for damaged cells, and optical coherence tomography, which scans the retina for GA lesions.
Come to your appointment prepared to discuss any specific challenges you’re having with your vision. And tell your doctor what you routinely do that you want to keep doing.
“Let’s say I have a geographic atrophy patient whose biggest thing is that she plays bingo every day, and she wants to see that bingo card,” says Agarwal. Simple assistive devices can help with this. These include large-print materials, magnifiers, and specialized lighting. Other options can include smart home technology, video magnifiers, and wearable devices.
In general, people with GA should have an eye checkup every six months.
But if your vision declines, you’ll need to go in more often, such as every three months, says Agarwal.
Work with your eye doctor to find the right schedule for you, based on the current stage of GA. How often you see your optometrist or ophthalmologist will depend on factors such as:
- The rate of GA progression
- The presence of any related eye conditions
- The development of any new or worsening symptoms
Even if you feel like your symptoms haven’t changed, it’s still important to schedule and attend regular checkups. Because GA often progresses slowly, your optometrist or ophthalmologist is likely to spot any changes before you can — and address them proactively. “You don’t want to get to a stage where you can’t drive anymore or can’t see that bingo card,” says Agarwal.
