[A review of research actuality on age-related macular degeneration].

A research actuality on Age-related Macular Degeneration(AMD) is reviewed, including epidemiology, pathogeny, mechanism, and the therapy of western or traditional chinese medicine. The pathogeny of AMD is linked with age, race, the history of heredity, smoking and environment. The mechanism of AMD is concerned with the metabolic disturbance of RPE and the chronic nonspecific inflammation. The main therapies for treating AMD include laser photocoagulation, photodynamic therapy, surgery, radiotherapy, drug and gene therapy. Using traditional chinese medicine to treat AMD is an exploratory direction which deserves to be mentioned due to the present situation of no effective treatments to AMD.