Summarize the following:
AMD symptoms usually develop gradually and without any eye pain, so they may difficult to detect. The hallmark symptom of AMD is a progressively developing blurred area near the very center of your vision, either in one eye or both. With time, the blurry central area can grow larger or you may develop dark spots that completely block out any images. On the other hand, peripheral vision is not affected by AMD.  Objects in your central vision may not appear to be as bright as they used to be — colors can get dull. AMD affects only the central part of your vision because that's where the macula is located. The macula is in the center of the retina and needed for sharp vision of objects that are straight ahead. Another common symptom of AMD is strange visual distortions — objects may appear distorted in shape, or straight lines may look wavy, crooked or bent. When these symptoms develop, people may think they're hallucinating. Although other eye diseases cause blurriness, only macular disease (including AMD, cystoid macular edema, diabetic macular edema, and others) creates these types of visual distortions.  Visual distortions associated with advanced stages of AMD make it difficult to drive, read and recognize faces. AMD often affects both eyes at the same time, but if only one is affected, it's difficult to notice visual changes because your good eye compensates for the affected eye. Another common symptom of progressive AMD is an increased difficulty adapting to low-light situations, such as dimly lit rooms, offices or restaurants. You might also feel the need for brighter light when reading books or doing work close to your face. If you find yourself or your partner turning on lights much more frequently than before, then it could be a sign of AMD.  Correlated to seeing things more dimly is perceiving a decreased intensity or brightness of colors. The world tends to take on a darker and drabber look with AMD. AMD doesn't affect peripheral (side) vision, so it doesn't cause complete blindness — although people with advanced symptoms are often labelled as legally blind and not allowed to drive a car or operate heavy machinery. The cause of AMD is not clearly understood, but a number of risk factors have been noticed, such as: hereditary (genetic) link, advanced age, female gender, cigarette smoking, obesity, cardiovascular disease and Caucasian race (skin color). Most people with AMD have at least a couple if not most of these risk factors.  In terms of age, AMD is most common in people older than 65 years. Smoking tobacco and being overweight, particularly if you're obese, puts you at much higher risk of AMD. These factors also increase your risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, which negatively affect the blood vessels of the eye.
Don't ignore blurry central vision. Be alert for strange visual distortions. Watch for difficulty adapting to low-light conditions. Be aware of the risk factors.