Stage a PSA to fight AMD: Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, affects 10 million Americans and carries an annual pricetag of more than $500 million. Still, its causes, warning signs, effects on sight and treatment options remain largely unknown to employers and employees.

You've likely heard of best-selling author Stephen King and Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench and could name several of his books or her films. And although you may have heard of age-related macular degeneration, it's significantly less likely that you could name the disease's warning signs, debilitative effects and resulting high costs.

And that, vision care experts say, is the problem.

AMD is a disease affecting the macula, the pencil eraser-size part of the retina where precise vision forms, resulting in the loss of central vision and making everyday activities like reading and driving much harder. Sadly, both King and Dench suffer from the disease. Dench has said that she now needs to have scripts read to her, and King has said that the illness has robbed him of "the part of my vision that I want to keep, both as a man and as a writer." They are among the 10 million Americans who currently have AMD, and still millions more are projected to be diagnosed in the next 15 years.

Although eye care professionals cite multiple ways to help slow the progression of AMD, one thing they agree cannot wait any longer is the public relations campaign to raise awareness of the disease and eye health in general.

"We've found that eye health in general is something that a lot of people...