Age-related macular degeneration is commonly thought of as a disease that strikes those 50 years and older but a recent study shows that the condition can affect the 35 to 44 age group as well. The Gutenberg Health Study was conducted to identify the age- and gender-specific incidence of macular degeneration.
Researchers evaluated the vascular structure, the head of the optic nerve and the macula of over four thousand participants. While the results showed that the incidence of AMD increases with age, researchers were surprised to find that people under the age of 50 can be affected by the disease as well. 3.8 percent of the participants between the ages of 35 and 44 were affected by AMD.
These study results may point towards the need for adjusting when screenings for macular degeneration should be conducted.*