Abstract

The leading cause of new blindness among people aged 60 or older is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (1). There are two forms of AMD, exudative and atrophic. Most AMD-related blindness is due to the exudative form (2), which is the potentially treatable form. When an exudative lesion is sufficiently far from the foveola, that lesion may be treated by application of laser photocoagulation (3,4). Because the distance of the exudative lesion from the foveola often decreases rapidly with time after presentation of initial symptom. (5), prompt treatment after presentation of symptoms is essential in order to maximize that treatment's chance of success. Because initial symptoms can be missed or overlooked (6), it is important that individuals know whether or not they are at especially great risk for developing exudative AMD.

© 1988 Optical Society of America