AMD Awareness Week took place from the 20th to the 26th of September. Once again NCBI teamed up with Fighting Blindness, the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO) and the Association of Optometrists Ireland (AOI), in association with Novartis.

Importance of early diagnosis

The aim of AMD Awareness Week is to increase public awareness on how to spot the symptoms of AMD and to highlight the importance of early diagnosis. AMD is the principal cause of sight loss for people over the age of 50 in the Western World. Although it is not as well known as other eye diseases such as cataracts or glaucoma, it is the most common cause of registered blindness in Ireland.

Lifestyle Changes

Speaking in advance of AMD Week 2010, Mr. Mark Cahill, Irish College of Ophthalmologists, said, “While age is the main risk factor related to the onset of AMD, we now know that lifestyle changes such as ensuring a balanced diet and blood pressure control can help prevent AMD progression. Overall, early detection is key. There are now treatment options available for AMD and these have dramatically improved over the past few years but it is important that AMD is diagnosed early to ensure maximum effectiveness.”

This year, RTE’s Mary Kennedy worked with the AMD Awareness partners to help encourage Irish people to look after their eye health. Speaking at the campaign launch she said, “These days, getting older doesn’t necessarily mean a less active lifestyle. It is so easy to take good eye sight for granted and yet maintaining it is integral to enjoying our busy daily lives. ”

Throughout AMD Awareness Week, free testing and information was available to detect the early signs of AMD at a range of participating local opticians, eye doctors, public libraries, golf clubs and other locations nationwide. The week was very successful and NCBI look forward to working with our AMD Awareness partners next year.