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Understanding Geographic Atrophy


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Nov 13, 2015

A CLOSER LOOK AT ADVANCED AMD

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in people age 50 and older. Geographic atrophy, an advanced form of AMD, can have a devastating impact on vision.1

an Unmet Need
More than 5 million people worldwide have geographic atrophy,2
including nearly 1 million people in the U.S.7

In developed nations, approximately 1 in 29 people over age 75 have geographic atrophy, 3,4,5
which increases to nearly 1 in 4 people over age 90.6
Impact on Vision
42% of patients’ eyes with geographic atrophy are legally blind (20/200 or worse with best correction).8,9
Healthy vision is 20/20
29% of patients’ eyes with geographic atrophy had ≥6 lines of vision loss on an eye chart by 4 years10

Affects ability to perform tasks of daily living including:1

SEEING FACES
DRIVING
READING AND WRITING
COOKING
What’s Happening in Your Eye?

AMD causes damage to the macula – the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision1


In geographic atrophy:11

  • A dark spot appears in central or peripheral vision
  • Colors seem dull or washed out
  • Vision becomes less sharp or detailed
  • Seeing in the dark becomes difficult
NORMAL VISION
VISION WITH GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY

If you notice any of the symptoms of geographic atrophy, you should speak to your physician. A comprehensive eye exam can be used to diagnose and monitor AMD and geographic atrophy1

Family History and Other AMD Risk Factors

Genetics – a family history increases the risk of AMD

With family history: 50% risk
No family history: 12% risk12
A recent study identified 19 genetic markers associated with AMD risk13

Other AMD risk factors:

AGE
SMOKING NEARLY DOUBLES THE RISK
OBESITY INCREASES THE RISK FOR ADVANCED AMD14
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE15
RACE – MORE COMMON AMONG CAUCASIANS
What Can Be Done for Geographic Atrophy?

There are currently no treatments available to slow the progression of geographic atrophy

Clinical trials are underway for potential geographic atrophy treatments
Low vision aids like magnifiers or special eyeglasses may also be prescribed

References: 1 National Eye Institute. Facts About Age-Related Macular Degeneration. National Institutes of Health. https://nei.nih.gov/health/maculardegen/armd_facts. Accessed September 9, 2015. 2 Tufail A, et al. Objective Measurement of Reading Speed and Correlation With Patient-Reported Functional Reading Independence. Presented at the 15th EURETINA Congress, Nice, France, September 17-20, 2015 3 Sunness JS. The natural history of geographic atrophy, the advanced atrophic form of age-related macular degeneration. Mol Vis 1999;5:25; 4 Klein R, Klein BEK, Franke T. The relationship of cardiovascular disease and its risk factors to age-related maculopathy. The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmology 1993;100:406–14. 5 Vingerling JR, et al. The prevalence of age-related maculopathy in the Rotterdam Study. Ophthalmology 1995;102:205–10 6 Hirvela H, Luukinen H, Laara E, et al. Risk factors of age-related maculopathy in a population 70 years of age or older. Ophthalmology. 1996;103:871–7. 7 The Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group. Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol. 2004;122:564-572. 8 Klein R, Wang Q, Klein BEK, et al., The relationship of age-related maculopathy, cataract and glaucoma to visual acuity, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 1995;36:182–91. 9 American Foundation for the Blind. Key Definitions of Statistical Terms. September 2008. http://www.afb.org/info/blindness-statistics/key-definitions-of-statistical-terms/25. Accessed September 9, 2015. 10 Sunness JS, Gonzalez-Baron J, Applegate CA, et al. Enlargement of atrophy and visual acuity loss in the geographic. Ophthalmology. 1999;106:1768–1779. 11 Merck. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. The Merck Manual. https://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch36/ch36d.html. Accessed September 9, 2015. 12 Klaver CCW, Wolfs RCW, Assink JJM, van Duijn CM, Hofman A, de Jong PTVM. Genetic risk of age-related maculopathy: population-based familial aggregation study. Arch Ophthalmol 1998;116:1646–51. 13 Fritsche LG, Chen W, Schu M, et al.; AMD Gene Consortium. Seven new loci associated with age-related macular degeneration. Nat Genet 2013;45:433–9, 439e1. 14 Mayo Clinic. Dry Macular Degeneration – Risk Factors. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/maculardegeneration/basics/risk-factors/con-20075882. Accessed September 9, 2015. 15 Tan JSL, Mitchell P, Smith W, Wang JJ. Cardiovascular risk factors and the long-term incidence of age-related macular degeneration: the Blue Mountains Eye Study. Ophthalmology. 2007;114:1143–50.

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  • Ophthalmology

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