Macular Degeneration vs AMD

I will start off by saying that I will soon be 77. I was originally diagnosed with MD when I was 36. My ophthalmologist said that he had never seen it in some one that young. He had a picture of my eye in his office for a long time. Although I have worn glasses since then, I have never had any major eye problems until my mid 60's. Now my central vision is mostly gone to where I have had to stop driving for my safety as well as the safety of others. My new eye doctor says I have dry AMD.
My question is: Is it still age related when I had it so young? Also, I was an aluminum welder for about 10 years prior to my first diagnosis. I recall many times of getting flash burns to my eyes. Could this have been the reason for my early diagnosis?