The prevalence of age-related maculopathy in the Rotterdam Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of age-related maculopathy in an elderly population in The Netherlands.


METHODS
Fundus photographs of 6251 participants of the Rotterdam Study, a single-center prospective follow-up study in persons 55 to 98 years of age, were reviewed for the presence of drusen, pigmentary abnormalities, and atrophic or neovascular age-related macular degeneration.


RESULTS
The prevalence of at least one drusen of 63 microns or larger increased from 40.8% in persons 55 to 64 years of age to 52.6% in those 85 years of age or older. Similarly, the prevalence of the following abnormalities increased significantly in these age categories: drusen of 125 microns or larger from 4.8% to 17.5%, retinal pigment epithelial hypopigmentations from 3.5% to 9.0%, and increased retinal pigment from 3.7% to 15.3%. Atrophic or neovascular age-related macular degeneration was present in 1.7% of the total population. Atrophic age-related macular degeneration increased from 0.1% in persons 55 to 64 years of age to 3.7% in those 85 years of age or older. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration increased from 0.1% to 7.4% in these age groups. No sex differences were observed for these lesions.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of atrophic or neovascular age-related macular degeneration is 1.7%. In those 55 years of age or older, the prevalence increases strongly with age and it is similar in men and women. Neovascular age-related macular degeneration was twice as common as atrophic age-related macular degeneration. These findings suggest that age-related maculopathy may be less common in this European population than in similar populations in the United States.
Vingerling
J R
JR
Department of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University Medical School, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Dielemans
I
I
Hofman
A
A
Grobbee
D E
DE
Hijmering
M
M
Kramer
C F
CF
de Jong
P T
PT
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010781:Photography; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000453:epidemiology; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000453:epidemiology; D012174:Retinitis Pigmentosa / Q000453:epidemiology