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Justin L. Gottlieb, MD

JAMA. 2002;288:2233-2236.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

INTRODUCTION

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of legal blindness in people 65 years or older in the United States,¹ is a degenerative disorder of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and neurosensory retina. The macula is the portion of the central retina with the greatest concentration of photoreceptors and provides high-resolution visual acuity. The early stages of AMD are characterized clinically by the development of soft drusen associated with pigmentary abnormalities of the RPE and retina (Figure 1A). Drusen, accumulations of amorphous, acellular debris within the basement membrane of the RPE, are seen ophthalmoscopically as yellow spots within the macula.² While small drusen are commonly present in the macula as a consequence of aging, the presence of large and numerous drusen is associated with AMD.³ Late-stage AMD is characterized by the development of well-defined areas of RPE loss (geographic atrophy) (Figure 1B), . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Epidemiology

Risk Factors

Visual Prognosis

Treatment of AMD

Conclusion

Author Affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison.

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