Late AMD
In late AMD, enough retinal damage occurs that, in addition to drusen, people will also begin to experience symptomatic central vision loss. The damage can either be the development of atrophy or the onset of neovascular disease. Late AMD is further divided into two subtypes based on the types of damage: Geographic atrophy and Wet AMD (also called Neovascular AMD). Dry AMD
Dry AMD (also called nonexudative AMD) is a broad designation, encompassing all forms of AMD that are not neovascular (wet AMD). This includes early and intermediate forms of AMD, as well as the advanced form of dry AMD known as geographic atrophy. Dry AMD patients tend to have minimal symptoms in the earlier stages; visual function loss occurs more often if the condition advances to geographic atrophy. Dry AMD accounts for 80–90% of cases and tends to progress slowly. In 10–20% of people, dry AMD progresses to the wet type. Geographic atrophy
Geographic atrophy (also called atrophic AMD) is an advanced form of AMD in which progressive and irreversible loss of retinal cells leads to a loss of visual function. There are multiple layers that make up the retina, and in geographic atrophy, there are three specific layers that undergo atrophy: the choriocapillaris, retinal pigment epithelium, and the overlying photoreceptors. The three layers that undergo atrophy in geographic atrophy are all adjacent to each other.
As these cells break down and release their pigment, dark clumps of released pigment and later, areas that are less pigmented may appear
Exudative changes: hemorrhages in the eye, hard exudates, subretinal/sub-RPE/intraretinal fluid
Drusen, tiny accumulations of extracellular material that build up on the retina. While there is a tendency for drusen to be blamed for the progressive loss of vision, drusen deposits can be present in the retina without vision loss. Some patients with large deposits of drusen have normal visual acuity. If normal retinal reception and image transmission are sometimes possible in a retina when high concentrations of drusen are present, then, even if drusen can be implicated in the loss of visual function, there must be at least one other factor that accounts for the loss of vision. Prevention
A 2017 Cochrane review found the use of vitamin and mineral supplements, alone or in combination, by the general population did not affect whether or not AMD started.Refraining from smoking, including fish in the diet and maintaining a healthy weight can prevent AMDThere appears to be a preventive effect of oral L-DOPA against AMD. Several reviews  refer to a 2016 retrospective medical records study of 87,000,000 unique individuals by Brilliant et al. In this study those who were on, or had been on, L-DOPA oral medicine for movement disorders (Parkinson’s Disease, etc.) were significantly less likely to develop AMD compared to those not on L-DOPA.