Age-related Macular Degeneration affects an estimated 25 million elderly people worldwide. Furthermore, 195 million people are at risk of developing AMD. Approximately 15 million people in the United States have some form of AMD, and more than 1.7 million Americans have the wet form of the disease. Meaning that there are over 13 million Americans that suffer from the dry form of AMD. Due to the aging baby boomer population, the National Eye Institute estimates that the prevalence of AMD will double by 2020.
Age is a prominent risk factor for AMD. The risk of getting AMD increases from 2% for those aged between 50-59, to 14%-24% for those aged between 60-74, and 35% for those over the age of 75.
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