[Etiology and pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration].

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in Germany. Due to the demographic development a further increase of affected patients is to be expected. Improved understanding of AMD pathogenesis resulted from the molecular biological approaches in recent years and showed an association of genetic factors with AMD. The complement factor H gene and the second high-risk locus ARMS2 in particular were found to contribute a significant risk for development of the disease. Ageing and environmental factors, such as smoking, modulate the individual genetic risk profile. A detailed understanding of the complex AMD pathogenesis is also relevant in ophthalmological practice to understand new treatment strategies. In this review we aim to give an overview of the interplay of ageing, external environmental factors and genetic risk variants leading to AMD.