Common Eye Disorders Practice Test

Metamorphopsia reflects distortion of the central retina from macular pathology, so symptoms arise when the macula is structurally disrupted. In AMD, this distortion is most pronounced when abnormal blood vessels invade under the retina and leak fluid or blood, causing macular edema and irregularities. This neovascular, or wet, AMD creates the kind of retinal distortion that patients notice as straight lines appearing wavy or bent. Dry AMD, driven by drusen and gradual atrophy without the same fluid leakage, tends to cause sharp vision loss more than perceptual distortion, so metamorphopsia is less commonly reported. Testing with tools like the Amsler grid makes these distortions more evident and helps differentiate the presence of active fluid-related changes typical of wet AMD.