Cigarette Smoking, CFH, APOE, ELOVL4, and Risk of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common form of legal blindness, with 1.75 million US citizens having advanced AMD in at least 1 eye.1 Approximately 10% of the population aged 43 years and older are affected with some form of the disease, and 30% of the population aged 75 years and older are affected.2 It is estimated that 2.95 million individuals in the United States will have advanced AMD by 2020.1