Cruickshanks KJ, et al. - Herein, the authors ascertained if the 5-year risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) declined by generation. Additionally, they determined the factors that contributed to an improvement in risk. A decline was noted in the 5-year risk for AMD, by birth cohorts throughout the 20th century. Factors elucidating this decline in risk were not known. This pattern appeared to be consistent with reported declines in risks for cardiovascular disease and dementia. This, in turn, indicated that better retinal health at older ages could be experienced by aging Baby Boomers than previous generations.