Amsler grid

This is how an Amsler grid appears with a normal central field of view.

This is how an Amsler grid could appear with age-related macular degeneration.

The Amsler grid or Amsler network is a simple function test in ophthalmology that can be used to check the central areas of the visual field of the eye . It was invented by the Swiss ophthalmologist Marc Amsler . The English optician James Ayscough had already presented a very similar test image in 1752 , but it was not used to diagnose central visual field defects.

With the spread and technical improvement of modern perimeters , the Amsler grid has at best the status of a self-test for patients, possibly a quick screening method to roughly determine central visual field defects, for example in the case of age-related macular degeneration or other exudative or degenerative processes in the center of the retina . It does not allow any essential and detailed assessments of the visual field, e.g. with regard to the depth of the scotoma . The test itself consists of an approximately 40 cm × 40 cm square grid with a point in the middle, which must be fixed during the monocular test. The other eye is completely covered with the flat of the hand or an eye patch. The test distance is about 40–50 cm. If the results are appropriate, the test person will be able to notice apparent “holes” in the grid or “dark spots” in the grid pattern, possibly also waves or curvatures of the grid lines ( metamorphopsia ). Furthermore, larger central shading can be determined. Such perceptions should always lead to an immediate ophthalmological check-up. But even a perfectly normal display of the Amsler grid does not completely exclude central or even peripheral visual field defects.

Amsler grids can also be downloaded or printed out from the Internet for self-testing.

See also

• Interactive Amsler grid
• Perimetry
• Scotoma

literature

• Theodor Axenfeld (founder), Hans Pau (ed.): Textbook and atlas of ophthalmology. With the collaboration of Rudolf Sachsenweger and others 12th, completely revised edition. Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart et al. 1980, ISBN 3-437-00255-4 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Marc Amsler : The investigation of qualitative vision with the square network. Instructions for using the test boards. Theodore Hamblin LTD, London 1958.
2. ^ Michael F. Marmor: A brief history of macular grids: from Thomas Reid to Edvard Munch and Marc Amsler. In: Survey of Ophthalmology. Vol. 44, No. 4, 2000 January / February, ISSN  0039-6257 , pp. 343-353, PMID 10667441 , doi : 10.1016 / S0039-6257 (99) 00113-7 .
3. ↑ Dana M. Landau, Francis Bigar, Klara Landau : The history of the Zurich eye clinic. In: Ophta. Issue 7, 2006, ISSN  1420-6838 , pp. 1–5, (PDF; 249 kB)
4. ↑ Amsler grid test evaluation: Central failure of April 24, 2019 in Promacula.at

Web links

• Amsler grid on the website of the German Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (DBSV)

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !