Some 7% of Irish adults over the age of 50 have the serious eye condition AMD, major new research has revealed.

AMD (age-related macular degeneration) affects central vision, making it blurry. Central vision is necessary for everyday activities such as reading, driving and watching television.

The condition is the main cause of sight loss in people over the age of 50 in the Western World, however until now, the prevalence of the condition in Ireland has never been investigated.

The results are based on findings from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), an ongoing study of over 8,000 people aged 50 and older. For this specific research, 5,035 people underwent clinical assessments to determine the prevalence of AMD.

From this, the researchers were able to determine that the prevalence of the condition in people over the age of 50 in Ireland is 7%.

"This unique data will inform Ireland, and beyond, on the seriousness of this blinding and life changing condition. It also highlights the need to put preventative measures in place before AMD becomes a larger burden on both patients and the economy," explained Prof John Nolan, principal investigator of the Macular Pigment Research Group in Waterford IT, who presented the findings to a major international conference in Dublin.

He pointed out that currently, AMD accounts for one-third of the total cost of vision loss in the Republic of Ireland, ‘which is estimated at €400 million annually and predicted to rise to €2.7 billion by 2020'.

He added that these findings are the result of ‘many years of work and commitment' from the TILDA team.

The findings were presented at the annual Retina Conference, which brings together world experts in vision and blindness. The two-day event is hosted by Irish charity, Fighting Blindness.

"This year's conference is hugely significant as not only are we hosting some of the world's leading scientists in the field of vision research, but we are also including a public engagement element for our conference on November 9.

"Disease specific breakout sessions will allow the public to ask questions on the area that most relates to them or their family around specific condition management, research or findings and developments from across the world," explained Anna Moran of Fighting Blindness.

This public element of the conference will be held on Saturday, November 9, at the Croke Park Conference Centre from 10am. Anyone interested in learning more about retinal conditions, such as AMD and diabetic retinopathy, can attend.

While the event is free of charge, those who wish to attend must register at retina.ie

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