The Issues
Patients with a specific form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness in the United States, are at significant risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to new research from New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai. This study, published in the July issue of Retina, is the first to demonstrate a link between the disorders.
AMD is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in people over 65 years old and is the result of damage to the central area of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for reading and driving vision. One major form of early AMD is called drusen, where small yellow cholesterol deposits form in a layer under the retina. They can deprive the retina of blood and oxygen, leading to vision loss. Drusen formation can be slowed by appropriate vitamin supplementation.
The other major form of early AMD is the presence of subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD), which is lesser known, and requires high-tech retinal imaging to detect. These deposits are also made of fatty lipids and other materials, but form in a different layer beneath the light sensitive retina cells, where they are also associated with vision loss. Currently, there is no known treatment for SDD.
Mount Sinai researchers analyzed 126 patients with AMD, using optical coherence tomography (OCT);an advanced imaging system that provides high-resolution cross-sectional scans of the retina. Patients also answered questionnaires about their health history including heart disease and stroke.
Of the patients on the study, 62 had SDD and 64 had drusen; 51 of the 126 total patients (40 percent) reported having cardiovascular disease or a past stroke, and most (66 percent) of those patients had SDD. By contrast, of the 75 patients who did not have known heart disease or stroke, relatively few (19 percent) had SDD.
In statistical terms, patients with cardiovascular disease or stroke were three times more likely to have SDD than patients without.
AMD is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in people over 65 years old and is the result of damage to the central area of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for reading and driving vision. One major form of early AMD is called drusen, where small yellow cholesterol deposits form in a layer under the retina. They can deprive the retina of blood and oxygen, leading to vision loss. Drusen formation can be slowed by appropriate vitamin supplementation.
The other major form of early AMD is the presence of subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD), which is lesser known, and requires high-tech retinal imaging to detect. These deposits are also made of fatty lipids and other materials, but form in a different layer beneath the light sensitive retina cells, where they are also associated with vision loss. Currently, there is no known treatment for SDD.
Mount Sinai researchers analyzed 126 patients with AMD, using optical coherence tomography (OCT);an advanced imaging system that provides high-resolution cross-sectional scans of the retina. Patients also answered questionnaires about their health history including heart disease and stroke.
Of the patients on the study, 62 had SDD and 64 had drusen; 51 of the 126 total patients (40 percent) reported having cardiovascular disease or a past stroke, and most (66 percent) of those patients had SDD. By contrast, of the 75 patients who did not have known heart disease or stroke, relatively few (19 percent) had SDD.
In statistical terms, patients with cardiovascular disease or stroke were three times more likely to have SDD than patients without.
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