Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in Thailand

To determine the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Thailand.

In this population-based study, data of participants in the Thailand National Survey of Visual Impairment in 2006-2007 were analyzed. Participants selected for this study were more than 50 years old, and were recruited from 42 districts of 21 provinces. They were interviewed, tested for visual acuity, examined for eye screening, and measured for intraocular pressure. They had digital fundus photographs taken using a nonmydriatic fundus camera through dilated pupils. The diagnosis of AMD, according to the standard international grading system, was made from the interpretation of the digital images by at least 2 retinal specialists. The observed data were used for predicting estimates of the prevalence of AMD in Thailand.

Data from 10,788 participants were analyzed. There were 321/10,788 (3%, 95% CI: 2.7-3.3%) participants diagnosed as having AMD. The mean age was 62.1 (range 50-98, SD 8.8) years old. There were 294 (2.7%) and 27 (0.3%) participants with early AMD (38.4% male) and late AMD (74.1% male) respectively. Of the late AMD, 20 (74.1%) were wet AMD and 7 (25.9%) were geographic atrophy. Based on the population census of Thailand, this could be translated into 351,000 and 39,000 patients with early and late AMD respectively.

Based on these data, it is projected that Thailand will have a large number of late AMD sufferers. This makes it imperative to develop new strategies for the national public health system, aiming to incorporate already available late AMD treatment.