Who is at risk for developing AMD?
The greatest risk factor for AMD is age. Although AMD may occur during middle age, studies show that people over age 60 are clearly at greater risk than other age groups. For instance, a large study found that people in middle-age have about a 2 percent risk of getting AMD, but this risk increased to nearly 30 percent in those over age 75. Another risk factor for AMD is a family history of AMD. As AMD is partly hereditary, if a person’s close blood relative is affected by AMD the chances of that person also developing AMD are higher than average. Other risk factors include smoking, hypertension (high blood pressure), and high cholesterol.
