Several studies have shown many risk factors which are related to age-related macular degeneration. Some of the common risk factors for age-related macular degeneration are listed below in this article. Let us examine.
- Aging: According to The Canadian Medical Association journal says that there is a significant loss of vision accompanying more advanced type of age-relate macular degeneration which increases from less than 1% among the people in their 60s to greater than 15% among the people in their 90s.
- Obesity: According to one study, which has been reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology in June 2003, overweight persons with age-related macular degeneration have more than the double the risks of getting or developing advanced forms of age-related macular degeneration when compared with persons of normal body weight.
- Inactivity: In the same study of Archives of Ophthalmology in June 2003, it was proved that those individual who performed vigorous activity for at least 3 times in a week has reduced their risk for developing advanced forms of age-related macular degeneration, when compares to inactive individuals. Thus, inactive patients are at a greater risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
- Heredity: Recent studies which are stated above, have found that there are some specific variants of different genes which are present in most individuals who have developed macular degeneration. Studies of identical twins and fraternal can also demonstrate that the heredity is one of the risk factor of AMD (age-related macular degeneration), who develops it and how severe it might become.
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science in September 2003, has reported the results of an European study which demonstrates that hypertension (high B,P.) may be associated with the development of AMD.
- Smoking: It is a major risk factor of AMD. According to one British study, it was found to be directly related with about 25% of age-related macular degeneration cases, which severe vision loss. In early 2006, The British Journal of Ophthalmology has also reported according to the study findings, which shows that those individuals who live with a smoker or people with smoking are at their double risk of developing age-related macular degeneration.
- Lighter eye color: This is one of the risk factor and macular degeneration has been thought to develop more often among the Caucasian populations, in particularly among those people who have light eye color and skin color. Some researches have theorized that an extra pigment which is found in the darker eyes acts as protective shield against the development of eye problems and diseases during the exposure to the sun. However, no conclusive evidence has been linked excessive exposure of sun to the AMD development till now. Several earlier studies have found and indicated that lighter eyes and skin are associates only with a greater prevalence of age-related macular degeneration.
- Drug side effects: There are some cases of macular degeneration which are activated from the side effects of drugs, that are toxic. Some of them include phenothiazine or aralen (chloroquine, it is an anti-malarial drug). Phenothiazine is a type of anti-psychotic drugs, which include the brand names of Stelazine (trifluoperazine), Trilafon (perphenazine), Prolixin (fluphenazine) Mellaril (thioridazine) and Thorazine (chlorpromazine, which is also used to treat persistent hiccups, vomiting and nausea.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology marks that the findings regarding the risk factors of AMD have been contradictory, based on the study. However, aging and smoking are the only two risk factors which are found consistently in the studies that are associated with the eye diseases.
