Detecting Subclinical AMD

Clinical Study Approach

When I first starting using the AdaptDx^® in 2017, I didn’t understand how much it would change the way I detect and manage AMD. In the early days, I quickly started diagnosing AMD in several patients who I would not have worried about before implementing this test. As such, I decided to conduct Dark Adaptation (DA) testing on a series of 100 patients over age 60 with no clinical findings of AMD based on dilated fundus exam and OCT.

At the end of the study, 61 participants had normal DA and 39 participants had impaired DA (consistent with AMD). In other words, almost 40% of my seemingly healthy patients over age 60 had AMD.

This study proved that the prevalence of subclinical AMD in a typical private practice setting like mine is likely much higher than we might assume.

With an earlier diagnosis, I’m now in a position to initiate a treatment plan for those, including nutraceuticals and lifestyle changes. As a result, I’m seeing my patients take action to improve their overall health and slow the progression of their AMD.

Patient Success Stories

Here are three of my patients who committed to positive lifestyle changes based on being diagnosed with AMD. In my experience with the AdaptDx, the combination of a symptom that impacts their daily life (trouble seeing at night) and a quantifiable test result (RI) is a powerful combination for moving a patient to action.

A 62-year-old patient had been smoking for over half his life. He also had a family history of AMD. He failed the Rapid Test, but admitted he never realized that smoking was a factor in his visual health. He said that he now had a real reason to stop smoking and was determined to do so.

I diagnosed one of my patients, who happens to be overweight, with AMD at age 60. We had a good conversation about lifestyle, nutrition, and how overall health impacts eye health. When she returned for her six-month follow-up visit, she was proud to share that she had started walking 5 miles a day and had lost 20 pounds because she wasn’t willing to sacrifice her vision!

A 64-year-old female patient shared that her mother has vision loss from AMD. She was relieved to have the certainty of a diagnosis, which motivated her to take action to help prevent the disease from progressing, as it had for her mother. She committed to taking a carotenoid-based supplement and improving her overall health to save her vision.