Macular Degeneration. When the retina becomes damaged it can lead to the development of macular degeneration, also called age-related macular degeneration. When macular degeneration has developed it can cause you to be unable to see objects in the same sharp, detailed way that you used to be able to see them.
No single set of symptoms or laboratory test, such as a blood test, imaging test, genetic test, or immune function test, can independently identify MS. A doctor must use multiple tools to diagnose MS. The most important tools are the medical history, a careful and thorough neurologic exam, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Other tests include visual evoked potentials (VEP) and analysis of spinal fluid taken by lumbar puncture.
Diagnosing multiple sclerosis (MS) is complex and challenging, mostly because MS symptoms are unique to each individual, and they can mimic those of a number of other diseases. In addition, there is no single blood test or imaging test for diagnosing MS. Today, neurologists use the McDonald Criteria to diagnose MS. This set of guidelines was revised in 2010 to incorporate MRIs into the diagnosis process, actually allowing MS to be diagnosed earlier in some people.