The Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Associated Risk Factors

Abstract

Although a growing number of population-based studies have described the prevalence and severity of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), most have been limited to middle- and older-aged cohorts.^1-6 To our knowledge, accurate estimates of prevalence of AMD among adults younger than 40 years are lacking. Such information is important for understanding the relationships of risk factors to AMD across the age spectrum and for identifying factors that might affect this disease earlier in life. The purposes of this report are to describe the prevalence of AMD and its defining lesions and their relationship to age, sex, and other factors in the large Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS) cohort.