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Ronald Klein, MD, MPH; Barbara E. K. Klein, MD, MPH

JAMA. 1996;276(14):1178-1179.

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

AGE-RELATED macular degeneration is an important cause of loss of vision in older Americans.^1-3 The late stages of this disease have been estimated to be the cause of severe loss of vision (defined as 20/200 or worse in the better eye) in more than 230 000 people.⁴ The early stages of the disease have been estimated to affect about 30% of individuals 75 years of age or older, and the late stages of the disease have been estimated to affect about 7%.⁵

See also pp 1141 and 1147.

The disease is characterized in its early form by the presence of large, soft, confluent drusen and pigmentary abnormalities.^6-8 At this stage, the visual acuity is usually normal.³ Later in its course, it is characterized by the development of either a wet or dry form. The wet form (exudative macular degeneration) is manifest by the development of . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison.

Footnotes
Reprints: Ronald Klein, MD, MPH, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin Medical School, 610 N Walnut St, Room 460 WARF, Madison, WI 53705-2397.

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