While estimates vary, AMD is thought to affect a large number of people. A study published in 2014, for instance, projected the patient population globally would hit 196 million in 2020 and grow to 288 million by 2040.
Among those patients, the vast majority will have “dry” AMD. Only about one- or two-in-10 will have the more severe, “wet” form of the disease, which is characterized by the formation of unusual blood vessels that leak fluid and damage the eye.