Abstract
The diverse range of ophthalmic disease covers every ocular structure, function, ethnic group, mode of inheritance and of course every age range. Certainly, in the developed world, a significant proportion of disease is multifactorial in origin; however, in a large majority of cases, the underlying risk includes that of increasing age. Indeed, by 80 years old, more than 80 % of the main causes of blindness are due to age-related conditions such as cataract, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) (Finger et al. 2011a, b) (Fig. 1.1).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Best practice life expectancy is the highest life expectancy achieved in that year.
References
Atwood CS, Bowen RL (2011) The reproductive-cell cycle theory of aging: an update. Exp Gerontol 46(2–3):100–107
Bloch SB, Larsen M et al (2012) Incidence of legal blindness from age-related macular degeneration in Denmark: year 2000 to 2010. Am J Ophthalmol 153(2):209–213.e202
Bressler NM, Doan QV et al (2011) Estimated cases of legal blindness and visual impairment avoided using Ranibizumab for choroidal neovascularization: non-Hispanic white population in the United States with age-related macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 129(6):709–717
Finger RP, Fimmers R et al (2011a) Incidence of blindness and severe visual impairment in Germany: projections for 2030. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 52(7):4381–4389
Finger RP, Fimmers R et al (2011b) Prevalence and causes of registered blindness in the largest federal state of Germany. Br J Ophthalmol 95(8):1061–1067
Group DE (2010) Commission staff working document. Demography report 2010
Hjelmborg J, Iachine I et al (2006) Genetic influence on human lifespan and longevity. Hum Genet 119(3):312–321
Jagger C, Matthews R et al (2007) The burden of diseases on disability-free life expectancy in later life. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 62(4):408–414
Kirkwood TB (1977) Evolution of ageing. Nature 270(5635):301–304
Kirkwood TB (2002) Evolution of ageing. Mech Ageing Dev 123(7):737–745
Klein R, Klein BE et al (1992) Prevalence of age-related maculopathy. The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmology 99(6):933–943
Klein R, Klein BE et al (2001) Changes in visual acuity in a population over a 10-year period: The Beaver Dam Eye Study. Ophthalmology 108(10):1757–1766
Ljubuncic P, Reznick AZ (2009) The evolutionary theories of aging revisited – a mini-review. Gerontology 55(2):205–216
Mackun P, Wilson S (2011) Population distribution and change: 2000 to 2010. http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-01.pdf. Accessed on 2 Mar 2013
Mitchell P, Smith W et al (1995) Prevalence of age-related maculopathy in Australia. The Blue Mountains Eye Study. Ophthalmology 102(10):1450–1460
Oeppen J, Vaupel JW (2002) Demography. Broken limits to life expectancy. Science 296(5570):1029–1031
Rein DB, Zhang P et al (2006) The economic burden of major adult visual disorders in the United States. Arch Ophthalmol 124(12):1754–1760
Scholl HPN, Charbel Issa P, Fleckenstein M, Schmitz-Valckenberg S, Holz FG (2009) Age-related macular degeneration. In: von Lang F (ed) Encyclopedia of molecular mechanisms of disease. Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg/New York, pp 1244–1247
Skaat A, Chetrit A et al (2012) Time trends in the incidence and causes of blindness in Israel. Am J Ophthalmol 153(2):214–221.e211
Skytthe A, Valensin S et al (2011) Design, recruitment, logistics, and data management of the GEHA (Genetics of Healthy Ageing) project. Exp Gerontol 46(11):934–945
Smith W, Assink J et al (2001) Risk factors for age-related macular degeneration: pooled findings from three continents. Ophthalmology 108(4):697–704
Tabatabaie V, Atzmon G et al (2011) Exceptional longevity is associated with decreased reproduction. Aging (Albany NY) 3(12):1202–1205
U.S. Census Bureau International Database. http://www.census.gov/population/international/data/idb/informationGateway.php. Accessed on 2 Mar 2013
Vaupel JW (2010) Biodemography of human ageing. Nature 464(7288):536–542
Vingerling JR, Dielemans I et al (1995) The prevalence of age-related maculopathy in the Rotterdam Study. Ophthalmology 102(2):205–210
Acknowledgments
Conflict of interest: none; Ethical standards: informed consent – not applicable; Animal rights – not applicable.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fletcher, E.C., Scholl, H.P.N. (2013). Ophthalmic Disease in the Ageing Society. In: Scholl, H., Massof, R., West, S. (eds) Ophthalmology and the Ageing Society. Essentials in Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36324-5_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-36324-5_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-36323-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-36324-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)