Vitreous in age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Due to the increasing importance of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the modern western world an enormous number of scientific papers have been published concerning the epidemiology, pathogenesis, morphology, and therapy of this disease. All these articles mainly concentrated on changes of the posterior part of the retina, as AMD is a disease of the chorioretinal interface, specifically the retinal pigment epithelium/Bruch’s membrane/choriocapillaris complex. In the past, only a few studies examined the relationship of the posterior vitreous cortex and the retina and changes at the vitreo-macular interface in eyes suffering from AMD. Weber-Krause et al. conducted a study based on B-scan ultrasound and reported a higher incidence of incomplete posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) in eyes with AMD compared to age-matched controls [1]. Similarly, Ondes et al. found that complete PVD was more frequent in eyes without AMD compared to eyes with AMD [2]. Neither study specifically evaluated the vitreo-macular relationship in AMD, although it was implicit that anomalous PVD may play a role, as it does in other conditions [see chapter III.B. Anomalous PVD and vitreoschisis].