ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), also known as age-related maculopathy (ARM), is the leading cause of severe visual loss in people over 65 years of age in developed countries (1-3). It is also the leading cause of irreversible central vision loss in whites over 50 years of age in the United States (4). The disease affects approximately 8 million people in the United States (5); its advanced form affects more than 1.75 million people (6).
