Quality of Life in Age-Related Macular Degeneration - CNIB

proportion of people with wet MD, there is an urgent need to find other ways
to curtail the damage to QoL caused by MD.
A greater public awareness of MD and the consequences of developing the
condition are important. At present levels of awareness are strikingly low 149 ,
with the highest, 30%, in the USA. In some countries with a prevalence of MD
comparable with the USA (e.g. Netherlands, Spain, Italy) fewer than 10% of
the population are aware of the condition 149 . Increased awareness would lead
to people consulting health professionals earlier and being diagnosed with MD
in time for any treatment that may be appropriate to be effective in preserving
vision. Evidence suggests that the affective quality of diagnostic consultations
can have a long­term impact on patients’ well­being 75 . Good provision of
information about MD, about its consequences and ways in which patients
can monitor their vision and prevent unnecessary damage is important 90 .
Information about support groups such as the AMD Alliance and the UK MD
Society and about other organisations involved in helping visually impaired
people may improve patient satisfaction with their experience of diagnosis and
may improve their long­term well­being. Effective support and referral to other
services as needed is important for well­being. The widespread provision of
effective rehabilitation services is essential for the reduction of mental health
problems which may develop into clinical depression. Rehabilitation treatment
needs to be given as soon as possible and be designed to suit individual
needs 12 . Evaluation of MD patients’ experiences of services provided using
purpose­designed instruments such as the MacSSQ 90 will identify deficiencies
and enable targeted improvements to be made to the services provided. Use
of an appropriate QoL measure, such as the MacDQoL will inform clinicians
about the impact of MD on individuals’ QoL and help in identifying priorities in
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