Guidance
This guideline covers diagnosing and managing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in adults. It aims to improve the speed at which people are diagnosed and treated to prevent loss of sight.
We have produced a large print version of this guideline, which is available to download from tools and resources.
Recommendations
This guideline includes recommendations on:
- classifying AMD
- providing information and support
- risk factors
- diagnosis and referral
- pharmacological and non-pharmacological management
- monitoring
Who is it for?
- Healthcare professionals in primary and secondary care
- Social care professionals
- Commissioners and providers of ophthalmic and optometric services
- People with age-related macular degeneration, their families and carers
Guideline development process
How we develop NICE guidelines
This guidance replaces NICE technology appraisal guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration (TA68).
Your responsibility
The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.
All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.
Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.
Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.