[Urgent action needed to raise public awareness of age-related macular degeneration in China].
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries. The impact of AMD to the economics, society and the patients are huge. However, the awareness of AMD is alarmingly low. Even in developed countries, the awareness of AMD is below 30%. In terms of the risk factors of AMD, the awareness is also quite low, e.g., only 32% were aware of the causal link between smoking and AMD. Although cataract is the leading cause of the blindness in China, as the economic and social progress, as the coming of the aging society, as people pursuing higher quality of life, AMD will become a unignoring public health problem. Thus, it is urgent to take action now to increase the public awareness of AMD.
Chen
You-xin
YX
D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors