Dry age-related macular degeneration in the Japanese population

To elucidate the clinical characteristics of eyes with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Japan.

Retrospective.

We performed a nationwide survey of dry AMD. A questionnaire on dry AMD was sent to 3,801 major hospitals and eye clinics nationwide. Whenever both eyes met the diagnostic criteria, only the eye with more advanced geographic atrophy was included.

In the current survey, 81 patients (81 eyes) with dry AMD were included. Of the 81 patients, 56 (69.1%) were men, and the mean age of the patients was 76.6 ± 8.4 (range, 54-94) years. Twenty-four patients (29.6%) had a history of smoking. The decimal best corrected-visual acuity (BCVA) was equal to or better than 0.7 in 25 eyes (30.9%), but worse than 0.1 in 17 eyes (21.0%). The mean BCVA was 0.62 ± 0.59 in logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution. Lesion size (the greatest linear dimension of the largest geographic atrophy) was ≥ 2 disc diameter in 33 eyes (40.7%) and < 1 disc diameter in 21 eyes (25.9%). Soft drusen was observed in 27 eyes (33.3%), and reticular pseudodrusen was observed in 31 eyes (38.3%). Of the 81 patients, the other eye was diagnosed as dry AMD in 26 eyes (32.1%), neovascular AMD in 16 eyes (19.8%), and intermediate AMD in 18 eyes (22.2%).

Dry AMD in the Japanese population has characteristics of male predominance, older age, high prevalence of reticular pseudodrusen, and high bilaterality.