One particular variant of FH/FHL-1 (termed 402H; that has a histidine at residue 402 in CCP7) is associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a common cause of blindness in developed nations, and requires a high level of HS sulfation for its binding (23, 24). The gene discussed is FH; the disease is age-related macular degeneration.