Diet, genetics and family history play role in AMD progression
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WASHINGTON — Age-related macular degeneration has a significant impact on vision across the population, according to a speaker here.
“It is the leading cause of decreased vision in people over 50 years old in the United States,” Basil K. Williams Jr., MD, ABO, said at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting. “We also know that there is pretty high prevalence, somewhere around 11% or 12%, in the population over 75 years old.”
Genetics, race and family history are all factors that influence AMD progression, Williams said. Often, an AMD diagnosis is made by highlighting drusen via OCT, while fundus autofluorescence can be useful in certain situations to evaluate for subtle and atrophic changes.
Eating green leafy vegetables and following a Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for patients with AMD, Williams said, also noting that new home monitoring research related to wet AMD will be valuable when assessing patients with dry AMD.
“We know that visual outcomes are based largely on how early we catch them and what vision is like at the beginning of treatment,” Williams said. “There are still some kinks to work out with home monitoring. The older the patient, the more challenging time they have using this technology, and we don’t get the greatest uptake as of yet. But as the technology improves, I think it will be exciting moving forward.”
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Williams BK. What to do for your patient with early dry AMD. Presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery meeting; April 22-26, 2022; Washington.
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