Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

What to know

The Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS) reports the prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) for the following categories based on the method of identification:

VEHSS prevalence estimate: Age-related Macular Degeneration

Prevalence Estimates‎

The VEHSS Prevalence Estimates for AMD are the primary surveillance outcomes reported by VEHSS for AMD. Statistical modeling methods are used to combine information from multiple data sources available in VEHSS to produce estimates of the total prevalence of AMD at the national, state, and county level. View prevalence estimates.

The VEHSS prevalence estimate of AMD is CDC’s primary estimate of the prevalence of AMD in the United States. These estimates are generated by combining multiple sources of data available in VEHSS, including National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) graded retinal images, abstracted data from published examination studies, Medicare claims, and American Community Survey (ACS) national, state and county population estimates.

  • Vision Threatening AMD: Also referred to as "Late Stage AMD," includes vision threatening advanced stages of AMD including geographic atrophy and/or exudative AMD (alternatively defined as wet-form AMD or choroidal neovascularization) in either eye.
  • Non-Vision Threatening AMD: Also referred to as "Early Stage AMD," includes retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities or drusen ≥125 µm in the worse-affected eye, but no vision threatening AMD in either eye.

Subgroup

Indicated conditions

Vision Threatening AMD

Includes vision threatening advanced stages of AMD including geographic atrophy and/or exudative AMD (alternatively defined as wet-form AMD or choroidal neovascularization) in either eye. Also referred to as “Late Stage AMD”.

Non-Vision Threatening AMD

Includes retinal pigment epithelium abnormalities or drusen ≥125 µm in the worse-affected eye, but no vision threatening AMD in either eye. Also referred to as “Early Stage AMD”.

Explore Data in the VEHSS Application‎

Explore the VEHSS Estimates. See the Prevalence Estimates summary page for more information and highlighted results.

Examination-based AMD

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) included identification of AMD based on retinal images. VEHSS summarizes the NHANES results, which represent a population-level prevalence estimate of AMD. VEHSS also includes summaries of published estimates of AMD prevalence from population-based studies.

Dataset

NHANES

Description

Percentage of people with age-related macular degeneration, based on examination

Variable name(s)

Opduarm – ARM, 3 severity levels, worse eye

Sample

Ages 40-150

Response options

No, Yes, Missing

Explore Data in the VEHSS Application‎

The data sources available for this category include NHANES and Literature Review.

Self-reported AMD

The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) and NHANES include self-report questions on whether a doctor ever told the respondent that they had AMD. VEHSS summarizes the prevalence of self-reported diagnosed AMD, which represents indicators of population prevalence of previously diagnosed AMD.

Dataset

NHANES

NHIS

Description

Percentage of people who were ever told by an eye doctor they have age-related macular degeneration

Percentage of adults ever told by a doctor or other health professional they had macular degeneration

Question Text

{Have you/Has SP} ever been told by an eye doctor that {you have/s/he has} age-related macular (mac-u-lar) degeneration?

Have you EVER been told by a doctor or other health professional that you had macular degeneration

Variable name(s)

VIQ310

VIM_MDEV

Sample

Ages 40 -15

Ages 18+

Response options

Yes, No, Refused, Don’t know

Yes, No, Refused, Not ascertained, Don’t know

Explore Data in the VEHSS Application‎

The data sources available for this category include NHANES and NHIS (Adult Module).

Diagnosed AMD

Diagnosed age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is identified based on the presence of International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-9 and ICD-10 codes in patient claims or electronic health record (EHR) systems. Patients with one or more diagnosis codes associated with a VEHSS subgroup are assigned to that subgroup. Diagnosis codes may be primary or secondary. Only one instance of a diagnosis code is required for assignment to the subgroup. Note that diagnosis codes in claims data are intended for billing purposes. Codes may not be present in cases where diagnosis codes are not required to justify payment. Diagnosed prevalence will also not identify any undiagnosed conditions, will not include patients not covered by the insurer, and will not identify prevalence among patients without a visit in the calendar year of data.

AMD, clinical subgroups

VEHSS defines the following clinical subgroups. Clinical subgroups are not mutually exclusive.

Subgroup

Indicated conditions

Diagnosed AMD – any stage

Category total – includes any clinical stage below.

AMD, unspecified

Unspecified AMD includes diagnosis codes indicating degeneration of macula and/or posterior pole but does not specify stage.

Early AMD

Early AMD includes diagnosis codes indicating the presence of drusen (degenerative) of the macula, an early manifestation of dry-form AMD.

Dry-form AMD

Dry-form AMD includes diagnosis codes indicating nonexudative age-related macular degeneration.

Geographic atrophy AMD

Geographic atrophy AMD includes ICD-10 codes approved after October 2018 indicating the advanced atrophic stage of dry-form AMD. Because this is a new code, geographic atrophy is included in VEHSS as a subgroup of dry-form AMD.

Wet-form AMD

Wet-form AMD includes diagnosis codes indicating exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Choroidal neovascularization AMD

Choroidal neovascularization AMD includes ICD-10 codes approved after October 2018 specifying active choroidal neovascularization (advanced wet-form AMD). Because this is a new code, choroidal neovascularization AMD is included in VEHSS as a subgroup of wet-form AMD.

Explore Data in the VEHSS Application‎

The data sources available for this category include NHANES and NHIS (Adult Module).

AMD by Vision-Threatening Status

VEHSS defines the following summary subgroups indicating vision-threatening AMD. These summary groups are mutually exclusive and sum to equal the category total of all patients with diagnosed AMD of any stage.

Subgroup

Indicated conditions

Vision-threatening AMD

Geographic atrophy, wet-form AMD, or choroidal neovascularization

Non vision-threatening AMD

Unspecified AMD, early AMD, or dry-form AMD AND NOT vision-threatening AMD

Explore Data in the VEHSS Application‎

The data sources available for this category include Medicare (default), IRIS Registry, Medicaid, Managed Vision Care, and MarketScan commercial insurance claims.