Amsler grid

This is what the Amsler grid looks like with a normal field of view in the center

This may look like the Amsler grid in the presence of age-related macular degeneration.

The Amsler grid or Amsler grid is used in ophthalmology as a simple functional test to check the central region of the field of view of the eye. It was invented by the Swiss ophthalmologist Mark Amsler. ^{[1] [2] [3]} . A very similar test image was proposed back in 1752 by an English optician named James Ayscough, which, however, was not used to diagnose central visual fields for defects.

With the spread and technical improvement of modern perimetry , Amsler grids are of great importance today as a means of self-testing for the patient and, possibly, by rapid screening as a means of presumably identifying defects in the center of the field of view, for example, age-related macular degeneration or other exudative and degenerative processes in the center of the retina . They do not give any significant and detailed estimates of the field of view, for example, the presence of scotomas . The test grid itself consists of a square grid of approximately 40 x 40 cm in size with square cells with a dot in the middle, which must be fixed to the eye during the entire monocular test. The other eye should be completely covered with a palm or bandage. The test distance to the grid is about 40-50 cm. Under appropriate circumstances, the test patient may notice the presence of imaginary “holes” in the grid or “dark spots”, possibly even waves or curvature of the grid lines. The presence of such imaginary defects in the mesh obliges the patient to undergo immediate ophthalmological monitoring. But even the completely normal appearance of the Amsler mesh does not exclude the presence of defects in the central or peripheral fields of vision.

For self-testing, the Amsler grid can be downloaded from the Internet and printed on a printer.