Patient Knowledge of Risk Factors for Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To assess patient knowledge of risk factors for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and its relationship to vision-related quality of life. Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: We analyzed data from the I-OPTA Questionnaire Study, a large electronic/telephone survey conducted exclusively among 346 patients diagnosed with nAMD. The included questions covered tobacco smoking, physical activity, use of AREDS2 supplement, and vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL), as measured by the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25). Results: Regarding risk factors, 65.0 % had a history of tobacco smoking, and 63.0 % followed the Danish Health Authority's recommendation of 30 min of daily physical activity. Among tobacco smokers, 73.0 % were aware of its potential contribution to nAMD, and 3.9 % had quit tobacco smoking due to their retinal diagnosis. Regarding physical inactivity, 10.8 % reported that they were informed of its potential contribution to nAMD, and 2.6 % had increased their physical activity due to nAMD. In patients eligible for AREDS2 supplement use, 22.2 % reported taking AREDS2 supplements of which 73.0 % adhered to the recommended dose. In our adjusted analysis, VR-QoL was not associated to tobacco smoking (β:1.82, 95 % CI -7.48, 3.84) or use of AREDS2 supplement (β:2.36, 95 % CI -7.61, 2.88), but physical active patients had significantly higher VR-QoL compared to not physical active patients (β: 6.15, 95 % CI 2.50, 9.80). Conclusion: Among patients with nAMD, awareness of risk factors was limited, and even fewer altered their habits because of their eye disease. Patients engaging in physical activity had significantly higher VR-QoL.