(http://www.PreserveMacForte.com) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains the primary cause of vision loss in the U.S. for those who are more than 65 years old, reported The Medical News recently.
According to the article, the results of a study published in online journal Ophthalmology demonstrated that AMD is still the leading cause of vision loss in retirement-age people living in America. The article added AMD adversely impacts in excess of 9.1 million Americans.
The study, according to the article, followed close to 5,000 patients over a two-decade period to assess vision impairment in relation to eye disease and treatment response. The results showed that even with the recent introduction of sight-saving medication and developments in disease avoidance, AMD still leads to substantial vision impairment in around 15% of Americans who are aged 85 and above.
According to the article, AMD is an eye ailment that damages the portion of the eye responsible for central vision. If left untreated for too long, permanent central vision loss could be the end result. The eye condition makes it difficult for sufferers to drive, watch television, read books and even recognize the faces of people they know.
Because AMD has basically zero early warning symptoms, it is important that people see their eye care specialist routinely for eye exams. According to the article, the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests that people go in for a baseline eye examination when they hit 40 years of age.
According to the article, the Academy suggests that people who pass the 65-year-old threshold go in for eye exams ever 12 to 24 months or as directed by their eye care professional, or ophthalmologist. The article added that a lot of people in this age segment may be entitled to free eye tests and treatment courtesy of Eye Care America, which is affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Eye care providers might ask people to come in for more frequent studies if these people have a family history of AMD. This is because people who have a family history of the eye condition are more likely to come down with AMD themselves than are people who have no such family history.