Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among older people, and diet has been postulated to alter risk of AMD. To evaluate associations between red meat and chicken intake and AMD, the authors conducted a cohort study of 6,734 persons aged 58–69 years in 1990–1994 in Melbourne, Australia. Meat intake was estimated from a food frequency questionnaire at baseline....

Mononuclear phagocytes (MPs), including monocytes/macrophages, play complex roles in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) pathogenesis. We reported altered gene-expression signature in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from AMD patients, and a chemokine receptor signature on AMD monocytes. To obtain comprehensive understanding of MP involvement, particularly in peripheral circulation in AMD,...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Complement Factor H (CFH), HTRA1 and CX3CR1 are associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Caucasian population. We aimed to determine whether, and of what magnitude, these AMD susceptibility SNPs are associated with exudative AMD in Han Chinese. METHODS Exudative AMD cases and age-matched controls were recruited from Na...

BACKGROUND Previously, the epsilon 4 allele of apolipoprotein E (APOE) was reported to have a significant association with a decreased risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In addition, the epsilon 2 allele of APOE was reported to be possibly associated with an increased risk of AMD. OBJECTIVE To determine if APOE polymorphisms, previously reported to be associated with AMD, affect ...

PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility of isolating and expanding endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), in the form of late outgrowth endothelial progenitor cells (OECs), from the peripheral blood of an aged population, particularly patients affected by different forms of AMD. METHODS Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected from young control subjects (n = 18) and from elderly subjects ...

BACKGROUND Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people aged 65 years and older in developed countries. The pathogenesis of AMD has been linked to mechanisms involving inflammation, oxidative stress, and basal laminar deposit formation between retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells and the basal membrane, caused by advanced glycation end products (AGEs). AG...

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a multifactorial disease with characteristics that include drusen, hyperpigmentation and/or hypopigmentation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), geographic atrophy (GA) and, in a subset of patients, late-stage choroidal neovascularization (CNV). It is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world among aging adults. It damages the integrity...

The clinical hallmark of the early stage of AMD is drusen, which are yellowish deposits at the level of the RPE. Focal RPE hyperpigmentation and atrophy can also be seen. The advanced stage of nonneovascular AMD is Geographic Atrophy (GA) where areas of atrophy become confluent and cause visual loss. Neovascular AMD (NV-AMD) is also an advanced manifestation of AMD and is characterized by choro...

Current management of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is directed at intravitreal injection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors for the treatment of wet AMD and supplementation with oral antioxidants for the treatment of dry AMD. In this article, we will review recent clinical trials for the treatment of dry and wet AMD.