We tested the hypothesis that large areas of small hard drusen (diameter <63 μm) and intermediate drusen (diameter 63–124 μm) are associated with the incidence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Eyes of 3344 older adults with at least two consecutive visits spaced five years apart over a 20-year period were included. A 6-level severity scale, including no drusen, four levels of increasing area (from minimal (<2596 μm2) to large (>9086 μm2)) of only small hard drusen, and intermediate drusen, was used. The five-year incidence of AMD was 3% in eyes at the start of the interval with no, minimal, small, and moderate areas of only small drusen and 5% and 25% for eyes with large area of only small drusen and intermediate drusen, respectively. Compared to eyes with a moderate area of small drusen, the odds ratio (OR) of developing AMD in eyes with a large area of only small drusen was 1.8 (p < 0.001). Compared to eyes with large area of only small drusen, eyes with intermediate drusen had an OR of 5.5 (p < 0.001) of developing AMD. Our results are consistent with our hypothesis that large areas of only small drusen are associated with the incidence of AMD.
CITATION STYLE
Klein, R., Myers, C. E., Lee, K. E., Gangnon, R. E., Sivakumaran, T. A., Iyengar, S. K., & Klein, B. E. K. (2015). Small drusen and age-related macular degeneration: The beaver dam eye study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 4(3), 425–440. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm4030425
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