Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) happens to be the chief cause of serious vision loss among Americans who are 65 years old and above, reported The TriCounty Record recently.
The article noted that, since 2000, the rate of AMD diagnosis in the U.S. climbed from 1.65 million to 2 million by 2010. According to the article, the climbing rates of AMD among the elderly is such that the Pennsylvania Academy of Ophthalmology is requesting that people living in Pennsylvania study up on any risk factors that may increase their odds of being diagnosed with AMD.
According to the article, AMD is an eye condition that harms the retina, which happens to be the light sensitive tissue located behind the eye. The retina is responsible for honing in on images and relaying them to the brain. As a result of the harm caused by AMD, the retinal damage can lead to irreversible loss of central vision, which would hampers AMD patients’ ability to operate their cars, read books, watch television or even recognize faces of their friends and family members. The article noted that the majority of people who have AMD do not recognize symptoms associated with the eye disease until there is substantial retina damage. Since there are zero early warnings signs for the eye condition, most people only come to learn that they actually have it when permanent damage has already set in. According to the article, regular eye exams are important when it comes to early detection that can lead to treatment that might ward off serious vision loss.
Joanna Fisher, MD, the PAO Secretary of Public and Professional Information, said in the article that people must be aware of risk factors when it comes to an ailment such as AMD. She acknowledged that, all too often, she seems patients see here only after they have experienced substantial vision issues. By that stage, the ailment has usually progressed to the point where incurable vision loss has occurred.
According to the article, the top five risk factors when it comes to getting age-related macular degeneration are as follows:
Obesity: People who are overweight are more likely than are those with an ideal body weight to come down with advanced AMD.
Smoking: Studies have shown that people who smoke cigarettes are more likely than non-smokers to get the more dangerous type of AMD, namely wet AMD.
High Blood Pressure: People with high blood pressure boost their odds of being diagnosed with AMD versus those with normal blood pressure.
Age: People are more likely to be diagnosed with AMD the longer they live. For instance, the risk for coming down with the eye condition climbs to close to 30% for those older than 75% compared to approximately 2% for those in their 50s.
Family History: People who have family members living with AMD are more likely to also be diagnosed with the eye condition than are those who do not have a family history of AMD.