Age

• The most important risk factor is age; the prevalence of AMD for white people increases from 1 percent in the sixth decade of life to 15 percent in the ninth decade of life, according to the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group.
  
  

Smoking

• In a study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology in 2006, researchers found that the longer that a person smoked, the higher the risk of AMD; also nonsmokers who lived with smokers are at higher risk of AMD.
  
  

Gender

• Since women live longer than men, women are more likely to develop AMD during their lifetime.
  
  

Race

• People of European descent are at higher risk of developing AMD especially as they age; people with lighter-colored eyes are also at higher risk of developing AMD.
  
  

Family History

• Having family members with AMD increases the risk of developing the disease; genetic factors probably play a role in this relationship between AMD and family.
  
  

Obesity

• In a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology in 2003, researchers found that overweight people are at double the risk for developing AMD than people who are normal weight.