The American Foundation for the Blind announced on October 28 that it has recently released a special issue of The Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) that addresses age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The special issue arose because of a study conducted by the National Eye Institute, which reported that the number of diagnoses of AMD is likely to double by 2025. 

Those being diagnosed with AMD are mostly seniors. While there are several risk factors for AMD (such as lifestyle habits, family history, and gender), age is the biggest risk factor, says the NEI in an article unrelated to its study. Individuals older than 60 are the most at risk, although AMD can develop during middle age. As people with AMD age, the condition affects the macula, in the center of the retina. The condition is painless, according to the NEI, but “gradually destroys sharp, central vision.”

The special issue of JVIB is intended to help professionals such as rehabilitation specialists and occupational therapists understand more fully how AMD affects senior citizens. “The goal of this groundbreaking Special Issue,” says the AFB, “is to encourage further discussion in the field of geriatric vision rehabilitation and low vision practice and to raise awareness of the methods of effective vision rehabilitation for individuals living with AMD.”

In addition to fostering discussion within the field, the publication offers “cutting-edge information” for professionals to help them prepare their patients for dealing with the condition. Print and online versions of the JVIB Special Issue on Macular Degeneration are available at www.afb.org/store.

For more information on the special issue of JVIB or macular degeneration itself, visit http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=47 and http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts.asp.