title: Relating Retinal Morphology and Function in Aging and Early to Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration Subjects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate relationships between age-related macular degeneration (AMD) morphology on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SDOCT) and visual function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, observational.
  
  
  METHODS
  From the Alabama Study on Early AMD baseline visit, visual acuity, cone-mediated sensitivity, rod-mediated dark adaptation, and SDOCT were obtained in 1 eye per subject with no apparent retinal aging (n = 15), normal aging (n = 15), early AMD (n = 15), and intermediate AMD (n = 46). The volumes of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-drusen complex, RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning, RPE-drusen complex abnormal thickening, and inner and outer retina were calculated in specified regions using semi-automated SDOCT segmentation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Better cone-mediated sensitivity was associated with greater RPE-drusen complex volume (r = 0.34, P < .001) and less RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning volume (r = -0.31, P = .003). Longer rod-mediated dark adaptation time, the duration for rod-mediated sensitivity to recover from photo-bleach exposure, correlated with lower RPE-drusen complex volume (r = -0.34, P = .005) and greater RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning volume (r = 0.280, P = .023). In 19 eyes with subretinal drusenoid deposits (SDD) vs 47 eyes without SDD, rod-mediated dark adaptation time was longer (mean ± SD 13.5 ± 7.0 vs 10.2 ± 3.1 minutes, P = .004), RPE-drusen complex abnormal thinning volume was greater (P < .0001), and visual acuity and cone sensitivity did not differ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decreased function relates to structural markers on SDOCT in AMD. Because the RPE-drusen complex includes the interdigitation of outer segments and RPE apical processes and SDD in eyes with AMD, slower dark adaptation might be related to structural abnormalities of the RPE, the RPE-photoreceptor interface, or both.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Monica B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Sevilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Gerald
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McGwin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Eleonora M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lad
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Sina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farsiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Christine A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Owsley
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Electronic address: cynthia.toth@dm.duke.edu.
authors.forename: Cynthia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Toth
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003623:Dark Adaptation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D012160:Retina / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000473:pathology; D055213:Retinal Pigment Epithelium / Q000473:pathology; D017948:Retinal Rod Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000145:classification / Q000503:physiopathology*