title: The second eye of Japanese patients with unilateral exudative age related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To clarify the incidence of choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) and predisposing findings for development of CNV in the second eye of Japanese patients with unilateral exudative age related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  The second eyes of unilaterally affected patients with exudative (neovascular) AMD treated in our clinic during the past 10 years (1988-97) were carefully followed up for more than a year. Evidence of CNV was confirmed by fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography. Macular lesions in patients, in whom CNV developed in the second eye, were retrospectively evaluated from patient records.
  
  
  RESULTS
  170 patients met the criteria. The average follow up period was 47 months (range 12-108 months). All patients were Japanese. CNV developed in the second eye in 12 (7%) of 170 patients, 30.3 months on average after the first examination. Cumulative incidence of developing CNV in the second eye using Kaplan-Meier life table analysis was: 0.6% by 1 year, 5.6% by 3 years, and 12.3% by 5 years, and was relatively low compared with that in white patients. CNV developed most frequently from serous pigment epithelial detachment (PED) in the macula (58%). Soft drusen were not prevalent and risk of developing CNV was not very high (18%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was confirmed that there were some differences in the incidence and predisposing findings for CNV developing in AMD among Japanese and other Asian patients compared with those in white people. It is important to recognise these differences between the two populations to understand the pathogenesis and epidemiology of AMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka 570-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ida
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyashiro
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shirasu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D012307:Risk Factors