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Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world, and currently affects approximately 12.7 million people in Europe and North America alone. In the UK, AMD is the main cause of over half of all registrations as sight impaired or severely sight impaired. Forecasts by the United Nations suggest that the number of people aged over 60 years will treble between 2005 and 2050, which means that the prevalence of age-related conditions such as AMD is also predicted to show a substantial increase. This article describes the features and classification of AMD, along with treatment options that practitioners need to be aware of so that patients can be appropriately referred.