It is a late onset disease occurring in adults over the age of 50 years and is characterized by progressive central vision loss. The causes of AMD are unknown except smoking as a risk factor.
Current treatments are limited to delay in the onset of severe visual impairment.
It is clear however that there is a genetic component to the disease as the incidence of AMD is much higher in families with disease than in the general population. The establishment of the genetic mechanisms that lead to disease have so far been hindered by the lack of available patient material for research. This reflects the late age of onset of disease. Currently we are part of an international study into the prophylactic laser treatment of patients with high risk maculopathy. We are the only centre so far in Victoria to be able to offer the new treatment of photodynamic therapy for neovascular AMD using the dye verteporphin.