Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss among people ages 65 and over, and early AMD can occur in people in their 50s.  Ronald Klein, from the University of Wisconsin/Madison (Wisconsin, USA), and colleagues studied 2810 people, ages 21 to 84 years, participating in the Beaver Dam Offspring Study, collecting data via health questionnaires, blood marker assessment, digital fundus photography, and AMD screening. The team found that early AMD was greatly precipitated by modifiable risk factors, including smoking and HDL cholesterol.  Eleven or more pack-years of smoking increased the risk of early AMD by two-thirds, while every 5 mg/dL increase in HDL lowered the risk by almost 10%.