Amsler Grid

The Amsler Grid is a tool used by patients to possibly detect changes in the retina. It is literally a grid; obviously, a grid has lots of straight lines. Therefore, looking at a grid on a regular basis can reveal vision distortions. If the straight lines aren’t as straight as they are supposed to be, perhaps something is wrong in the vision. The process of assessing for such distortions can reveal retinal diseases, including wet macular degeneration.

In the April 2023 edition of the journal JAMA Ophthalmology, Dr. Jakob Bjerager and colleagues reported a meta-analysis of studies using the Amsler grid. Their overall conclusion was that the sensitivity of the Amsler grid might not rise to the level that is usually used for a monitoring/screening tool. Therefore, even if one uses an Amsler grid at home, there is no substitute for ophthalmic examinations.