Diminished Foveal Sensitivity May Predict the Development of Advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration

Janet S. Sunness, Robert W. Massof, Mary A. Johnson, Neil M. Bressler, Susan B. Bressler, Stuart L. Fine

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

Visual function testing was performed on one eye with drusen from each of 18 elderly patients in 1984. Eleven patients had advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the fellow eye, and seven had only bilateral drusen. These patients were all followed prospectively (median, 45 months), at which time one eye had a new vessel membrane, three eyes had pigment epithelial detachments, and one eye had geographic atrophy. Only two of these five eyes had AMD-related visual loss in the fellow eye in 1984. The degree of loss of foveal dark-adapted sensitivity in 1984 predicted which patients developed advanced AMD with 100% sensitivity and 92% specificity. The presence of high-risk drusen characteristics in 1984 predicted the development of advanced AMD with 100% sensitivity but only 55% specificity. For this small group of patients, foveal dark-adapted sensitivity loss was an excellent predictor of the subsequent development of advanced AMD in eyes with drusen. A prospective study of a large group of patients with drusen is being undertaken to validate this finding.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)375-381
Number of pages7
JournalOphthalmology
Volume96
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1989

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology

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