Prevalence of age related macular degeneration in persons aged 50 years and over resident in Australia.

Abstract

Study objective-The aim was to determine, employing non-invasive procedures, the prevalence of age related macular degeneration in persons 50 years of age and over.Design-A clinical investigation and a retrospective examination of ophthalmological records were employed in this study.Setting-The study was conducted over the period 1988 to 1990 Other studies have computed rates for age related macular degeneration from samples which did not have an upper age limit.5 6 However, in both of these studies the samples were specialised, self selecting, and either had a pre-existing medical condition or were attending an ophthalmological clinic.Irrespective of the source of the sample and the associated errors of measurement, definition of disease, and restricted age range, all research on age related macular degeneration shows an increase in prevalence with age. The prevalence findings across age groups for the studies cited above are summarised in table I.Each of the above studies presents with one or more limitations which prevent generalisations of their findings to the elderly population 50 years of age and over. These limitations can be categorised into three generic areas; the manner in which the disease is defined, the inclusion of a certain Snellen visual acuity criterion as a sign of the disease, and finally the nature of the sample used in the specific study. These three general limitations lead to some question as to the accuracy of the prevalence rates presented for age related macular degeneration. The aim of the present study was to determine, employing non-invasive procedures, the prevalence of this disorder in persons 50 years of age and over. Methods

Prevalence of major eye diseases and causes of visual impairment in the adult Finnish population: a nationwide population‐based survey

“…1995). In accordance with our results, Mitchell (1993) found that 19% of persons aged 75–84 and 26% of those aged 85 and older had ARM, based on case records. In other previous studies, the prevalence of all ARM was considerably higher because early macular changes assessed with ophthalmoscopy or fundus photographs were included.…”

“…The high prevalence of ARM in people aged 75 and older is consistent with most previous studies reporting prevalence rates for both all and late ARM (Klein et al 1992c;Mitchell et al 1995;Vingerling et al 1995). In accordance with our results, Mitchell (1993) found that 19% of persons aged 75-84 and 26% of those aged 85 and older had ARM, based on case records. In other previous studies, the prevalence of all ARM was considerably higher because early macular changes assessed with ophthalmoscopy or fundus photographs were included.…”

Prevalence of Chronic Ocular Diseases in a Genetic Isolate: The Norfolk Island Eye Study (NIES)

“…This is significantly lower than in Australia, 21 and in addition, the proportion of those with Pitcairn Island ancestry with AMD was considerably lower than those without Pitcairn Island ancestry. There is a strong genetic component to the etiology of AMD, with common polymorphisms in the CFH gene accounting for approximately half of all cases.…”

Risk Profiles for Ageing Macular Disease

“…Most studies give prevalences for early plus late AMD between the ages of 70 and 80 years between 25 and 40%. Only the RS [14] and the Blue Mountain Study in Australia [28] reported prevalences between 10 and 20%, as did the smaller Hisayama Study [29]. Blacks were mostly reported to have a lower prevalence of AMD, but later reports suggested that this holds only for late AMD [30,31].…”