ABSTRACT
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most frequent cause of blindness among individuals aged 55 years and older in developed countries, is a major public health problem (1-4). The National Eye Institute estimates that there may be more than 16,000 new cases of legal blindness annually from AMD in the United States. In addition, the prevalence of AMD in the United States is expected to rise as a result of a progressive increase in the life expectancy and the proportion of elderly persons in the population. The increasing impact of AMD, coupled with the limited therapy available for its treatment, has led many investigators to search for factors that could be modified to prevent the onset or alter the natural course and prognosis of AMD. The identification and modification of risk factors has the potential for greater public health impact on the morbidity from AMD than the few treatment modalities at hand.
