Clinical Study
Eye advance online publication 10 July 2009; doi: 10.1038/eye.2009.160
Refractive error and smoking habits in exudative age-related macular degeneration in a hospital-based setting
Proprietary interest: None
- 1Department of Ophthalmology, Medical Faculty Mannheim of the Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany
- 2Department of Ophthalmology, People's Hospital, Peking University, Beijing, China
Correspondence: JB Jonas, Department of Ophthalmology, Universitäts-Augenklinik, Theodor-Kutzer-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany. Tel: +49 621 383 2242; Fax: +49 621 383 3803; E-mail: Jost.Jonas@augen.ma.uni-heidelberg.de
Received 5 February 2009; Revised 29 May 2009; Accepted 29 May 2009; Published online 10 July 2009.
Abstract
Purpose
To assess and compare refractive error and smoking habits in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a clinical setting.
Methods
The clinical comparative study included 379 patients (379 eyes) who underwent intravitreal application of an anti-vascular growth factor drug for the treatment of exudative AMD, and 191 patients without exudative macular degeneration and who underwent surgery for age-related cataract. Smoking status was compared with an age-matched control group of the German population described in the census of 2003. The main outcome measures were refractive error, axial length, and data from a questionnaire on smoking habits.
Results
The AMD group compared with the cataract group showed a significantly shorter axial length (23.31
0.75 vs 24.201.56 mm; P<0.001) and was significantly more hyperopic (0.652.14 vs -1.714.57 dioptres; P<0.001). After the exclusion of pseudophakic AMD patients and matching by age and gender, the difference of refractive error and axial length between both groups remained to be statistically significant (P<0.001). The AMD group and the matched population group did not vary significantly in smoking history (age group: 55–75 years, current smokers: 18.4% vs 16.8% (P=0.64); former smokers: 23.2% vs 24.9% (P=0.66); age group >75 years, current smokers: 6.3% vs 6.4% (P=0.97); former smokers: 19.7% vs 22.8% (P=0.25)).
Conclusions
In our setting, an association was found between short axial length and AMD. We were not able to confirm the previously reported link between smoking and AMD.
Keywords:
exudative age-related macular degeneration, hyperopia, smoking, macular degeneration, visual impairment
