Who's at risk?
Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 55, affecting more than 10 million people in the U.S. alone. Age is the greatest risk factor. At age 50, you have just a 2% risk, but by the time you reach the age of 75, AMD will be affecting up to 37% of your peers.
Other main factors include:
- Race and Gender — Women get AMD more often than men, as do light-skinned, light-eye people.
- Heredity — AMD is hereditary, so, if you have an immediate family member with AMD you should consider taking precautions now.
- Smoking — Smoking exposes your eyes to high levels of oxidative stress and, while the connection to AMD has not been clearly identified, smoking is an important risk factor.
- History of vision correction — It is also known that farsighted people develop AMD more often than nearsighted people, although the reason has not been definitively established.
Learn More:
- Keep Your Eyes Healthy Now
- Find Out More About Ocuvite® Adult 50+ Eye Vitamins
- Calculate your risk with the Sightrisk risk assessment tool
Living Well With Macular Degeneration, Dr. Bruce Rosenthal and Kate Kelly, New American Library, ©2001