Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) usually affects both eyes over time. Among patients with advanced AMD in one eye estimates of the risk to the second eye have been diversely reported. Therefore we examined, over a four year period, the rate of second eye involvement in 41 patients with either exudative or advanced atrophic AMD in one eye, and early macular changes in the second eye with best corrected vision of 20/30 or better. The cumulative risk of developing either exudative AMD or atrophic AMD and 20/80 or less vision in the second eye was 23% at four years. The cumulative risk of losing 10 or more letters on the ETDRS visual acuity chart in the second eye was 35% at four years. These results are discussed in relation to previously reported rates of second eye involvement in AMD.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
References
Kahn H and Moorhead H : Statistics on blindness in the Model Reporting Area, 1969–1970 Washington, D. C., DHEW, PHS Publication (NIH) 73–427, USGPO 1973.
Ferris FL III, Fine SL, Hyman LG : Age-related macular degeneration and blindness due to neovascular maculopathy. Arch Ophthalmol 1984; 102: 1640–2.
Junius P and Kuhnt H : Die Scheibinformige Entartung der Netzhautmitte. Berlin: S Karger, 1926; 77.
Gass JDM : Drusen and disciform macular detachment and degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 1973; 90: 206–17.
Teeters VW and Bird AC : The development of neovascularization of senile disciform macular degeneration. Am J Ophthalmol 1973; 76: 1–18.
Blair C : Geographic atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium. A manifestation of senile macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 1975; 93: 19–25.
Willerson D Jr and Aaberg TM : Senile macular degeneration and geographic atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium. Br J Opthalmol 1978; 62: 1 551–3.
Chandra SR, Gragoudas ES, Friedman E, Van Buskirk EM, Klein ML : Natural history of disciform degeneration of the macula. Am J Ophthalmol 1974; 78; 579–82.
Gregor Z, Bird AC, Chisholm IH . Senile disciform macular degeneration in the second eye. Br J Ophthalmol 1977; 61: 141–7.
Bressler SB, Bressler NM, Fine SL, Hillis A, Murphy R, Olk RJ, Patz A : Natural course of choroidal neovascular membranes within the foveal avascular zone in senile macular degeneration. Am J Ophthalmol 1982; 93: 157–63.
Strahlman ER, Fine SL, Hills A : The second eye of patients with senile macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 1983; 101: 1191–3.
Meredith TA, Braley RE, Aaberg TM : Natural history of serous detachment of the retinal pigment epithelium. Am J Ophthalmol 1979; 88: 643–51.
Ferris FL III, Kassoff A, Bresnick GH, et al: New visual acuity charts for clinical research. Am J Ophthalmol 1982; 94: 91–6.
Chylack LT, Leske C, Sperduto R, Khu P, McCarthy D and the Lens Opacities Case-Control Study Group. Lens opacities classification system. Arch Ophthalmol 1988; 106: 330–4.
Diabetic Retinopathy Study Research Group: Diabetic Retinopathy Study Report Number 7: A modification of the Airlie House classification of diabetic retinopathy. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 1981; 21: 210–36.
Goldthorpe JH and Hope K : The social grading of occupation: a new approach and scale. New York, Oxford University Press, 1974: 134–43.
Schurleff D : Some characteristics related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death: Framingham Study, 12 year follow-up: Section 30, in Kannel WB, Gordon T (eds): The Framingham Study: An Epidemiological Investigation of Cardiovascular Disease, Public Health Service publication (NIH) 74-599. US Department of Health Education and Welfare, 1974; pp 1–32.
Kaplan EL and Meier D : Nonparametric estimation from incomplete observations. J Am Statist Assoc 1958; 53: 457–81.
Newsome DA, Schwartz M, Leone NC, Elston RC, Miller E : Oral zinc in macular degeneration. Arch Ophthalmol 1988; 106: 192–8.
Young RW : Solar radiation and age-related macular degeneration. Surv Ophthalmol 1988; 32: 252–69.
Ham W, Mueller H, Sliney D : Retinal sensitivity to damage from short wavelength light. Nature 1985; 260: 615–27.
Feeney L and Berman ER : Oxygen toxicity membrane damage by free radicals. Invest Ophthalmol 1976; 15: 789–92.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Roy, M., Kaiser-Kupfer, M. Second eye involvement in age-related macular degeneration: A four-year prospective study. Eye 4, 813–818 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1990.128
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1990.128
This article is cited by
-
Six-Year Incidence and Risk Factors of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Singaporean Indians: The Singapore Indian Eye Study
Scientific Reports (2018)
-
The role of indocyanine green angiography imaging in further differential diagnosis of patients with nAMD who are morphologically poor responders to ranibizumab in a real-life setting
Eye (2016)
-
Drusen and RPE atrophy automated quantification by optical coherence tomography in an elderly population
Eye (2015)
-
The symmetry of phenotype between eyes of patients with early and late bilateral age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (2011)
-
Parafoveal letter recognition at reduced contrast in normal aging and in patients with risk factors for AMD
Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology (2009)