Role of the optometrist in age-related maculopathy

The increasing aging segment of our population presents both a challenge and an opportunity for optometry. The challenge is to provide sufficient manpower skilled in the problems of the aging and to assure participation in any therapeutic program. The opportunity is to help those with maculopathy to achieve the required visual performance. This entails prevention measures, detection diagnosis, and referral for medical care when indicated. When medical therapy is not helpful, the optometrist employs low vision techniques to surmount the visual handicaps to achieve visual performance commensurate with lifestyle needs. A discussion of retinal performance to aid in understanding age-related maculopathy (ARM) is presented. Similarly, the various low vision techniques used to aid the patient with ARM are considered.