Straight lines look wavy or bent
You look at a door frame, a tile line, or a row of text. It should run straight. Instead it bends, dips, or ripples.
The cause usually sits at the back of the eye. The macula is the small spot that gives you sharp central sight. If it swells or thins, lines fall on an uneven surface and look bent.
Age-related macular degeneration is one common reason. Fluid, swelling, or a small pucker in the retina can do the same. Often one eye is worse, so you notice it when you cover the other.
When to see someone
Have your eyes checked now, not in a few weeks. Call an eye doctor the same day if the waves are new. Call too if a dark or blank patch sits in the middle of your sight.
Fast blurring, faded colours, or trouble making out faces are also same-day signs. Seek urgent care for a shower of new floaters, flashes of light, or a dark curtain across your sight. If lines have looked bent for weeks, book an eye exam this week.
Below is a list of remedies from our reviewed files on macular degeneration. Each one carries an evidence grade. The grade shows how much research has looked at it, not a promise of what it will do.
A low grade means the proof is thin or mixed. None of it takes the place of an eye exam. Tell your eye doctor about any supplement you plan to take, since some change how other drugs act.
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