title: Mini-cognitive testing in patients with age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare Mini-Cognitive (Mini-Cog) Screening test results between patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and age-matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred and twenty-nine patients were included in the study. Patients were divided into 3 groups: 56 patients with exudative AMD, mean age of 76 ± 8 years; 82 patients with dry AMD, mean age of 77 ± 9 years; and 91 controls, mean age of 75 ± 8 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Mini-Cog test, used to screen patients with early cognitive impairment, was introduced to the three groups of patients at the settings of an ophthalmology outpatient clinic. Test scores were compared between the groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean for the Mini-Cog test scores was 3.5 (95% confidence interval, 3.15-3.85) for the dry AMD group, 3.95 (95% confidence interval, 3.51-4.39) for the exudative AMD group, and 4.63 (95% confidence interval, 4.45-4.80) for the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the scores of AMD groups, however, both AMD groups received significantly lower scores than controls (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with age-related macular degeneration in this study demonstrated lower mean scores in the Mini-Cog test than age-matched controls. The Mini-Cog test may be easily applied at an office setting of ophthalmology outpatient clinics, and may help in the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment in the patients with AMD.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Ophthalmology, University of Mutah, Al-Karak, Jordan; and †Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Khalil M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Al-Salem
authors.forename: Shlomit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schaal
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D057092:Geographic Atrophy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology