title: Is pseudophakia a risk factor for neovascular age-related macular degeneration?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the possible association between pseudophakia and neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Reports of all patients undergoing fluorescein angiography in the authors' department over a 6-year period were retrospectively reviewed. Four hundred ninety-nine patients with recent onset of neovascular AMD in one eye and early age-related maculopathy (ARM) in the fellow eye were included in the study. Lens status (phakic or pseudophakic) in both eyes at the time of onset of neovascular AMD and the time between cataract surgeries (if performed) and onset of neovascular AMD were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no significant difference in lens status between eyes with neovascular AMD and fellow eyes with early ARM (115/499 [23.0%] vs. 112/499 [22.4%] pseudophakic; P = 0.88, odds ratio 1.035, 95% CI 0.770-1.391). Subgroup analysis revealed no difference between the groups with large drusen, small drusen, or pigmentary changes only (respectively, 20.3% vs. 19.6% pseudophakic, P = 0.92; 20.5% vs. 23.3% pseudophakic, P = 0.84; 33.3% vs. 31.7% pseudophakic, P = 1.0). Pseudophakic eyes with neovascular AMD had not been pseudophakic for a significantly longer period at the time of onset of neovascular AMD than their pseudophakic fellow eyes at the same time point (225.9 +/- 170.4 vs. 209.9 +/- 158.2 weeks, P = 0.27).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results do not support the hypothesis that pseudophakia is a major risk factor for the development of neovascular AMD.
authors: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital, CH-8049 Zurich, Switzerland. florian.sutter@usz.ch
authors: Florian K P
authors: FK
authors: Sutter
authors: Moreno
authors: M
authors: Menghini
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Barthelmes
authors: Johannes C
authors: JC
authors: Fleischhauer
authors: Malaika M
authors: MM
authors: Kurz-Levin
authors: Martina M
authors: MM
authors: Bosch
authors: Horst
authors: H
authors: Helbig
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D019591:Pseudophakia / Q000150:complications*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors