Raising AMD awareness

Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd, supported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), has launched "Be AMD Aware", a campaign to raise awareness of the risk factors for and symptoms of age-related macular generation (AMD) among those aged 55 and over in the UK.

The awareness campaign was prompted by survey results that showed that 44% of respondents were completely unaware of the condition. The telephone survey - of 519 UK adults (aged ≥50 years), which was conducted by Harris Interactive between November and December 2008 - also showed that 90% of respondents were unable to identify the symptoms of AMD and 70% were unaware that smoking constituted a significant risk for AMD development.

The "Be AMD Aware" campaign aims to encourage over-55s in the UK to undergo regular eye examinations and to become more aware of AMD symptoms to enable early detection. Information for the general public is available at www.beAMDaware.co.uk.