Dr. Steven Rhee

More than 20% of Hawai’i residents are over the age of 65 years old, possibly making them more at risk for eye diseases, health officials report.

One such disease to be aware of is age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, the leading cause of blindness in older adults. In an effort to raise awareness about the disease, February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month and Hawai’i residents are being reminded to take care of their eye health.

Dr. Steven Rhee, an ophthalmologist at the Hawaiian Eye Center in Honolulu, said he’s been working in Hawai’i for about 15 years, and AMD is a persistent problem.

“This is an issue that has always been prevalent,” he said. “This has always been around. It’s an eye condition that can develop in some people as we get older.”

While not everyone develops it, he said, those that do are at risk for vision impairment. While there are no early symptoms, later symptoms include loss of central vision, blurry vision and trouble seeing in low lighting, seeing colors less bright and straight lights appearing wavy or crooked.

Rhee said there are several factors that may affect an individual’s chance of developing AMD, including genetics, sun exposure, health and diet.

While the Hawaiian Eye Center is located on Oahu, Rhee said Maui residents may seek out a local eye doctor to start getting care as soon as possible.

“There are ophthalmologists and eye doctors on Maui as well, so they don’t necessarily have to fly over to get baseline check-ups,” he said.

As AMD and other eye-related issues may occur later on in life, other potential influences that may contribute to the onset of AMD or other eye problems include any current health issues, so seeing an eye doctor for a check up is not a bad idea.

“It’s really important to just get a baseline check up so that we can check for those conditions,” he said. “Screening is important.”

Rhee said that when it comes to eye-related health, sometimes people have a tendency to put off those routine visits.

“It’s not until something goes wrong that we worry about it,” he said. “If you ask anybody, ‘What’s the one sense that you would hate to lose?’ It’s your vision. So we want to be proactive and do more preventative care rather than treat things that happen that could have been prevented.”

There are new treatments developed in recent years to help manage AMD, including medications, light therapy and implants, as well as several preventative measures. Some preventative measures include using protective eyewear, stop smoking and vaping and staying hydrated.

If you or anyone you know sees any of these signs, see an eye doctor right away.