Macular degeneration varies in severity. Some people may experience only slight distortion of vision while others may have complete loss of central vision. The most common early sign of AMD is blurred vision. As the cells of the macula become less functional, central vision may continue to deteriorate, making the detection of detail, or words in a book less clear. Often vision will improve somewhat in bright light.

If the loss of light-detecting cells increases, a person may see a small blind spot in the centre of their field of vision. This blind spot will continue to grow as the condition progresses (see pictures to the right). The blind spot will appear as blankness in the dry form of AMD, and as a blackened area in the wet form.