More than monitoring: Using AMD visits to promote healthy vision aging

For patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), routine monitoring visits are an opportunity to do more than track disease progression. They can also prepare patients for what lies ahead and give them practical ways to protect their vision as they age. In this Q&A, Bryce St. Clair, OD, MPH, FAAO, assistant professor in the Department of Ophthalmology and optometric residency co-director, Comprehensive Eye Care at and Behrad Garmsiri, OD, MS, instructor of Ophthalmology, Comprehensive Eye Care, both of Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, share how they approach AMD monitoring and comanagement with retina specialists. They also discuss how they address functional challenges such as glare, reduced contrast sensitivity, and night driving, and how they reframe an AMD diagnosis around steps patients can take, including smoking cessation, AREDS supplementation, and UV protection.