Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in Greece: The Thessaloniki Eye Study

PURPOSE: To estimate the age, and gender-specific prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a population-based sample of subjects 60 years of age or older in Thessaloniki, Greece. DESIGN: Cross-sectional population based study. METHODs: A total of 2554 subjects randomly identified from municipality registers in Thessaloniki underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination. RESULTS: Of the 3617 eligible subjects, 2554 (71%) participants completed a clinical examination. The prevalence was 2.5% for AMD, 1.4% for neovascular (NV) AMD, and 1.3% for geographic atrophy (GA). Bilateral AMD was present in 40% of AMD cases. The prevalence of AMD, NV, GA, and bilateral AMD increased with increasing age (P <.0001). No gender-specific statistically significant differences were noted. Of all participants with AMD, 67% were unaware of the diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of AMD in Greece is comparable to that in other Caucasian populations. A dramatic increase in prevalence in people older than 80 years of age was observed.