THE UK’s first ever genetic testing kit for an eye condition that causes blindness is being launched this month.
The £399 home testing kit, paves the way for people to identify their own personal risk of contracting Age-Related Macular Degeneration, the world’s most common retinal disease, affecting over 500,000 people in the UK.
AMD occurs when the macula – the central part of the retina that sends fine, detailed images to our brain – begins to break down.
The number of people with the condition is continually rising and currently affects almost 20 million people across Europe.
One in five people over 85 in the UK already have the disease.
The testing kit, launched by Optegra – owner of the leading multi-million pound eye hospital in Guildford, Surrey and Yorkshire Eye Hospital – lets people find out whether or not they are likely to contract the disease, and take the necessary steps to slow down its possible onset.
AMD has very few symptoms, and by the time it has been diagnosed, permanent visual damage could be done.
Contact Optegra, tel 0800 358 0825
