Purpose To decribe the prevalence of age related macular degeneration (AMD) in the population aged 50 and over in Doumen County of Gunagdong Province. Methods After randomized clustering sampling,all selected individuals were enumerated according to village residence register.Visual acuity were measured by illuminated EDTRS chart. The examination of eyelid,cornea,lens and fundus were also carried out.The diagnosis of AMD was made according to the criteria of National Academic Group of Fundus Diseases combining with the visual criteria of Framingham Eye Study. Results 5 324 indivduals were axamined with participating rate of 92.8%.The ove rall prevalence of AMD was 8.4%.The prevalence of 2.9%,7.8% and 12.9% was found in the age groups of 50-,60-,70- respectively.The prevalence of male and female was 8.5% and 8.4% respctively.5% of AMD eyes were blind and 49% were low vision. Conclusion The prevalence of AMD is hight and increased with aging,but not correlated with sex.AMD can cause severe visual impairment. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis,1998,14:122-124)