The Risk and Natural Course of Age-Related Maculopathy

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Abstract
SINCE THE FIRST epidemiological report1 on age-related maculopathy (ARM) in 1977, its high prevalence among individuals 65 years and older in Western societies has been well documented.2-5 The reported prevalences in those aged 65 to 75 years range from 9%4 to 25%, 2 depending on the definition of ARM, geographic location, and ethnicity of the population. In contrast to prevalence, few data are available on the incidence and natural course of this disease. Most studies on ARM frequency either were cross-sectional or included patients with uniocular end-stage disease who were recruited from clinics. With these designs, it was not possible to examine the rate at which early stages of ARM develop and the speed with which they progress to end-stage disease, also called age-related macular degeneration (AMD).