title: Prevalence of early and late age-related macular degeneration in a rural population in northern India: the INDEYE feasibility study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a rural population in Northern India.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pilot feasibility study, 1443 people (median age, 60 years; 52% women), were identified from enumeration of the 50+ age group in 11 randomly sampled villages from a rural, periurban district of Haryana, Northern India. Of those identified, 87% attended an eye examination that included digital fundus photography. Fundus images were graded at a single reading center using definitions from the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fundus photographs were available for 1101 participants. Overall, 28.8% of participants had ungradable fundus images due to cataract. Including all with ungradable images in the denominator, the prevalence of soft drusen was 34.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 26.1-42.9); of soft indistinct drusen, 2.2% (95% CI, 1.1-4.4); and of pigmentary irregularities, 10.8% (95% CI, 7.1-16.1). There were 15 (1.4%) cases of late-stage AMD (95% CI, 0.8-2.3) with the prevalence rising from 0.4% in the 50- to 59-year age range to 4.6% in those aged 70 years or older.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Drusen and pigmentary irregularities are common among the rural northern Indian population. The prevalence of late AMD is similar to that encountered in Western settings and is likely to contribute significantly to the burden of vision loss in older people in the developing world.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Ophthalmology, Dr Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Sanjeev K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Gudlavalleti V S
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: Nicoli
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Gill M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: Mukesh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dherani
authors.forename: Neena
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: John
authors.forename: Astrid E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Usha
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Chakravarthy
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010781:Photography; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution