Retinal neurodegeneration in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex and multifactorial disease characterized by the damage of the unit comprised of the photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch's membrane, and choriocapillaris. Although the outer retina appears to be mainly affected in this disorder, several evidences exhibit that also the inner retina may be impaired. In this review we will provide a description of the prominent histologic and imaging findings suggesting an inner retinal loss in these eyes. In details, structural optical coherence tomography (OCT) technology proved either the inner and outer retina is impacted by AMD and that these two impairments are associated. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide a description of the role of neurodegeneration in AMD in order to better understand the relationship between neuronal loss and the outer retinal damage in this disease.

Pushing Retinal Imaging Forward: Innovations and Their Clinical Meaning – The 2022 Ophthalmologica Lecture

“…OCT has facilitated the identification of specific features associated with disease progression, which may play a role in a patient-based decision-making process and may be thus defined as biomarkers [61]. Of note, biomarkers can be either prognostic or predictive: while prognostic biomarkers represent clinical or biological characteristics providing information on patients' outcomes regardless of the treatment [61], a predictive biomarker may indicate the potential benefit from treatment for a specific patient, as compared to the baseline condition [61]. Several prognostic and predictive OCT biomarkers have been described as structural qualitative or quantitative features associated with different retinal disorders [62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71].…”

Deep Learning in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

“…Consequently, AMD presents itself as a complex array of disorders with a multifactorial etiology [ 2 ]. Regardless of the etiology, AMD is ultimately considered as a disease characterized by the dysfunction of the unit comprised of photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch’s membrane and choriocapillaris [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Inter-session repeatability of reading performance measures in patients with neovascular AMD

“…1,2 The development and exudation of a macular neovascularization in the AMD setting may result in a damage to inner retina, photoreceptors, and retinal pigment epithelium that may eventually effect in an irreversible impairment of the central vision. 3–7…”

“…1,2 The development and exudation of a macular neovascularization in the AMD setting may result in a damage to inner retina, photoreceptors, and retinal pigment epithelium that may eventually effect in an irreversible impairment of the central vision. [3][4][5][6][7] The introduction of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy has dramatically improved the care of patients with neovascular exudative AMD, and this treatment is currently considered as the gold standard. The management of nAMD patients may include a reg-ular follow-up with a periodic administration of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections.…”