Second eye of patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Caucasians vs Chinese

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the correlation between morphological features of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the first eye and the severity of age-related maculopathy (ARM) in the fellow eyes in two racial groups: Caucasians and Chinese. Participants: A total of 135, fluorescein angiograms of patients with unilateral neovascular AMD and ARM in the fellow eyes were included in the study: 38 Caucasians from King's College Hospital, UK; 45 Caucasians from West Kent Eye Centre, UK; 52 Chinese from Hong Kong Eye Hospital, Hong Kong. Main outcome measures: CNV subtype in the affected eye and ARM severity in the second eyes. Results: Although the proportion of CNV subtypes in the three groups were similar, the Chinese cohort showed significantly less ARM severity compared to the Caucasian cohorts (P<0.05). Conclusion: Although drusen and retinal pigmentary changes may be prognostic indicators of CNV, this study suggest that other factors contribute significantly to the pathogenesis of CNV in AMD.