The macular photostress test in diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration

Arch Ophthalmol. 1990 Nov;108(11):1556-8. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1990.01070130058030.

Abstract

We propose the macular photostress test for the evaluation of macular function in the office setting. Eighty eyes were tested and divided into four diagnostic categories: background diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, age-related macular degeneration, and normal. The recovery times for the eyes with age-related macular degeneration were longer than for eyes with macular edema (P = .03). Age-matched patients with age-related macular degeneration had longer recovery times than did those without age-related macular degeneration (P = .0001). A possible explanation is that the prolonged recovery time in the eyes with age-related macular degeneration reflects that the anatomic lesion is located in the retinal pigment epithelium-photoreceptor complex. In comparison, the eyes with macular edema, whose lesion is in the inner retina and not the retinal pigment epithelium, show a less-prolonged recovery time than the eyes with age-related macular degeneration.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aging
  • Diabetic Retinopathy / physiopathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Macula Lutea / physiopathology
  • Macular Degeneration / physiopathology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Vision Tests*
  • Visual Acuity