[Age related macular degeneration as a cause of blindness].

PURPOSE

To present our studies concerning the causes of blindness in age-related macular degeneration, including the relationship with risk factors for this disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A total number of 158 eyes with AMD in 99 patients were examined. Among them there were 21 cases with visual acuity 0.1 or less in the better eye. This group of patients underwent a detailed analysis in order to determine the factors responsible for visual impairment in comparison to the patients with better visual function.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Blindness is connected mostly with exudative AMD. There are no significant differences in prevalence of risk factors for AMD between the group of patients with visual loss and that of patients with visual acuity above 0.1. The majority of patients referred to the ophthalmologist too late and on account of that is should be necessary to perform prophylactic examinations of the people above sixty.