Some 90% of these cases are dry AMD, where visual cells simply stop functioning, and this cannot be treated, but 10% are wet ADM, which is the most aggressive form of the disease.

The condition is caused by the growth of new blood vessels under the centre of the retina. These can leak fluid, causing scar tissue to form and destroying central vision in a period of between two months and three years. Peripheral vision is retained. The condition causes problems reading, seeing small objects and distorted vision.

In the early stages of AMD, central vision may be blurred or distorted, and objects may take an unusual size or shape – this change can happen quickly or develop over months.

People with the condition may become very sensitive to light or see lights that aren’t there, and there may be some discomfort, although the condition is not painful.

There is no treatment for dry AMD, but there are some for the wet form of the condition.

Photodynamic therapy involves the injection of a light-sensitive medicine called verteporfin into a vein in the arm. This medicine is able to identify the abnormal blood vessels in the macula, and attach itself to proteins in those vessels. The medicine is then activated – by a laser which is shone into the eye – to destroy the rogue vessels, and this stops the vessels from leaking blood or fluid, stopping the damage the vessels are causing to the macula.

This treatment is designed to ensure that none of the delicate but healthy tissues in the eye are damaged, but it can only be used on a proportion of patients.

A newer type of drug treatment for wet AMD is known as anti-VGEF (vascular endothelial growth factor) medication, which works by blocking one of the key chemicals responsible for the growth of the new blood vessels. This anti-VGEF medication, called Lucentis, has to be injected into your eye using a very fine needle.