Macula Month: What is your Macula Risk?
One of the ways we check for your risk of developing advanced macular degeneration is the grading of your macula according to a retinal photograph and/or slit lamp assessment. A Simplified Severity Scale for Age-Related Macular Degeneration has been developed to help us communicate whether you will be at low, medium, or high risk of progression to advanced macular degeneration.
The number of risk factors we find in the maculae of each eye determines how likely you will develop advanced macular degeneration over a 5-year period. For example, from the graph above you can see that if you have zero risk factors, your likelihood of developing advanced macular degeneration is 0.5%; which rises to approximately 50% if you show 4 risk factors in total.
These percentage risks were determined from the original participants of the AREDS Study aged 55-80. See the full paper here.
Low Risk
If both your eyes look like this picture, your risk of developing advanced macular degeneration is approximately 0.5% in five years.
MEDIUM Risk
If both your eyes look like this picture, your risk of developing advanced macular degeneration is approximately 12% in five years.
HIGH Risk
If both your eyes look like this picture, your risk of developing advanced macular degeneration is approximately 50% in five years.
What is your Macula Risk? Book a comprehensive eye exam with us by calling 42840604 or booking instantly online to find out.