New Study Shows More Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) Than Thought

A recently released study, conducted before the pandemic in 2019 published in JAMA Ophthalmology, shows that nearly 20 million Americans have some form of AMD -- 2.75 times as much as previously thought!

The study was conducted by the CDC, University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.  92.5% of those Americans had early-stage AMD, while the remainder had late-stage.  This is the first time in more than ten years that such a measurement was undertaken.

Interestingly, the study found a high degree of variation in state-by-state and county-by-county results.  Late stage AMD rates were highest in the Midwest and New England, as well as Florida.