Getting Tested
Your eye care professional should consider ordering genetic testing when they first diagnose pre-advanced AMD in either eye before recommending dietary supplements.
It is an optometrist or ophthalmologist who usually first spots drusen and makes an early diagnosis of macular degeneration. By using the Macula Risk test, your eye care professional can identify the risk of progression and determine if you require a referral to a retina specialist.
Questions and Answers About Getting Tested
What can I expect from my eye care professional after getting the Macula Risk test?
What is the cost of the Macula Risk test?
How do these tests compare to other genetic testing, such as 23andMe?
My eye care professional doesn’t know about Macula Risk. What should I do?
What is required of me when taking the Macula Risk test?
The Macula Risk test requires you to have a swab of the inside of your cheek. There are no blood tests necessary.
What can I expect from my eye care professional after getting the Macula Risk test?
Your eye care professional will receive the test report within four weeks and should discuss these results with you at your next appointment. The results will help guide your treatment plan. If the results reveal you to be at high risk of AMD progression, you may be referred to a retina specialist.
What is the cost of the Macula Risk test?
Macula Risk is affordably priced and is about the cost of one year of AREDS supplements. It is available through an eye care professional as an inexpensive, yet proprietary patient pay test.
How do these tests compare to other genetic testing, such as 23andMe?
Macula Risk is a proprietary US patent-protected test used with your clinical information known only to your eye care professional. The 23andMe test for AMD doesn’t measure the variations validated in the Macula Risk tests. It has no ability to predict the risk of disease progression and it has no information regarding the effect of zinc in the AREDS formulations on an individual’s risk of progressing to neovascular AMD.
Your doctor orders Macula Risk so they can manage AMD better. The Macula Risk test combines gene variation with a doctor’s clinical assessment of a patient’s AMD status for the most accurate result possible. The Macula Risk prognostic result is near 90% accurate at predicting your AMD progression risk within the next 5-10 years.
The test shows if a patient should not take regular eye supplements with zinc. Their results can affect how your eye care professional will manage your macular degeneration.
My eye care professional doesn’t know about Macula Risk. What should I do?
If your doctor does not offer AMD genetic tests, drop us a note with their contact information and we will be in touch. You can call our customer service phone line at 1 866 964 5182 or send us an email at customerservice@macularisk.com.
