Age-related macular degeneration and blindness due to neovascular maculopathy

Arch Ophthalmol. 1984 Nov;102(11):1640-2. doi: 10.1001/archopht.1984.01040031330019.

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the four most common causes of blindness in the United States. Retinal manifestations of AMD can be categorized as either atrophic or neovascular/exudative. To the best of our knowledge, the proportion of patients legally blind due to the neovascular/exudative manifestations of this disease has not been previously reported. Data from two studies, the Framingham Eye Study and a large case-control study, demonstrate that the vast majority of patients with legal blindness due to AMD have the neovascular/exudative form of the disease. Seventy-nine percent of eyes legally blind due to AMD in the Framingham population and 90% of eyes legally blind due to AMD in the case-control study had neovascular/exudative retinopathy. This is in spite of the fact that neovascular/exudative retinopathy is a relatively infrequent complication of AMD.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aging*
  • Blindness / etiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Laser Therapy
  • Macula Lutea / blood supply*
  • Macular Degeneration / complications
  • Macular Degeneration / physiopathology*
  • Macular Degeneration / prevention & control
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / physiopathology*