A few things about Amsler grids you might not have been aware of
Disclosure up front: I built a free app that includes an Amsler grid, and I'll link it at the end. But everything here works exactly as well with the paper one on your fridge.
I spent the last few weeks reading about home monitoring while building it, and a lot of what I found isn't in the leaflet that comes with the grid.
Same distance, same light, every time. Usually about 12 to 14 inches for a printed grid, but the number matters less than doing the same thing each time. Half of what looks like a change between checks is actually the room being darker, or holding it further away, or being tired at the end of the day.
Keep your eye on the centre dot. Don't scan around looking for problems. The whole point is what you notice in your peripheral vision while staring at the middle. Scanning defeats it.
Write down what you saw and when. This is the part I'd underline. "My vision has been a bit off lately" is hard for a doctor to do anything with. "Nothing on the right eye. Left eye, two wavy areas just left of centre, first noticed the 14th" is a completely different conversation.
Cover one eye. Every time. This is the big one. Your brain is very good at filling in what one eye misses using the other, so testing with both eyes open can hide a real change completely. Test each eye on its own, and do both.
Wear whatever you'd normally wear to read. If you use reading glasses, keep them on. The grid is meant to be viewed the way you view a book.
Consistency beats frequency. A check done properly once a week is worth more than a rushed one every day under different conditions. Ask your own doctor how often they want you doing it, since it depends on your stage and which eye.
Two other things that came up repeatedly and surprised me:
Not every "eye vitamin" on the shelf is AREDS2. The formulation is specific, and plenty of products marketed for eye health don't match it. Worth reading the actual label against whatever your ophthalmologist told you to take rather than trusting the front of the box.
Whatever your doctor told you about when to call urgently, keep it somewhere you'll find it. Most people are told this once, at diagnosis, when they're taking in a lot at the same time, and then it's gone. Write it down while you still remember it.
The app I built keeps grid results with dates, tracks supplements and drops, and prints a one-page summary to hand your doctor at an appointment. It's free, no ads, no subscription, no account, and nothing leaves your phone.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/avesia/id6796212126
I'm not a doctor and this isn't medical advice. Your ophthalmologist knows your eyes and I don't.