title: Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in the US population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Mexican American, and other racial/ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A US nationally representative, population-based, cross-sectional study involving a total of 5553 persons aged 40 years and older from the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The main outcome measure was AMD determined by the grading of 45° digital images from both eyes using a standardized protocol.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the civilian, noninstitutionalized, US population aged 40 years and older, the estimated prevalence of any AMD was 6.5% (95% confidence interval, 5.5-7.6) and the estimated prevalence of late AMD was 0.8% (95% confidence interval, 0.5-1.3). Non-Hispanic black persons aged 60 years and older had a statistically significantly lower prevalence of any AMD than non-Hispanic white persons aged 60 years and older (odds ratio = 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.21-0.67).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the prevalence of any AMD in the 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was 6.5%, which is lower than the 9.4% prevalence reported in the 1988-1994 Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. While this finding might be explained in part by possible methodological differences, these estimates are consistent with a decreasing incidence of AMD and suggest important public health care implications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, 610 N Walnut St, Room 417 WARF, Madison, WI 53726, USA. kleinr@epi.ophth.wisc.edu
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Chiu-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Barbara E K
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.forename: Xinzhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Stacy M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Meuer
authors.forename: Jinan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Saaddine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D015995:Prevalence; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000208:ethnology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*