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Purpose: To examine the prevalence of age-related maculopathy (drusen and retinal pigmentary abnormalities) and end-stage age-related macular degeneration lesions (neovascular maculopathy or geographic atrophy) in a defined older Australian urban population.

Subjects: All noninstitutionalized residents 49 years of age or older who were identified in a door-to-door census of two postcode areas west of Sydney, Australia.

Methods: All participants received a detailed eye examination, including stereoscopic photographs of each macula. Two trained graders used the Wisconsin Age-related Maculopathy Grading System to assess the presence and severity of typical lesions.

Results: A marked age-related increase in all typical lesions of age-related maculopathy and macular degeneration was observed. End-stage age-related macular degeneration was present in 1.9% of the population, rising from 0% among …