The Psychosocial Impact of Macular Degeneration

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Abstract
AGE-RELATED macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of new blindness in older adults and causes more permanent vision loss than glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy combined.1 One in 5 persons older than age 65 years will live with AMD,2 for which limited medical treatment presently exists.3 Despite the prevalence and long duration of this progressive disease, knowledge of the effect of vision loss caused by AMD on older adults' quality of life, overall psychological function, and ability to perform everyday activities is limited to 3 studies that each examine selected aspects of the impact of the disease.4-6 Comprehensive studies of the quality of life of patients with various diseases typically use measures of disease state, symptom status, functional limitations, and self-rated general health.7-10 In this study, we present a comprehensive assessment of the domains of daily functioning, self-rated general health, emotional distress, visual acuity, and quality of life to characterize patients with vision loss caused by AMD.