Advances in the management of age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is a slowly progressive, binocular loss of central vision due to deterioration of the retinal pigment epithelium in the macula. It is the leading cause of legal blindness in adults over 65 years of age in the western world. An ongoing study has found ARMD to be the principal cause of bilateral and unilateral non-correctable blindness (visual acuity less than 6/60) in the aged population of the Blue Mountains, NSW, an area chosen for study as its demography is similar to the overall Australian population of this age.