title: A Revised Hemodynamic Theory of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) afflicts one out of every 40 individuals worldwide, causing irreversible central blindness in millions. The transformation of various tissue layers within the macula in the retina has led to competing conceptual models of the molecular pathways, cell types, and tissues responsible for the onset and progression of AMD. A model that has persisted for over 6 decades is the hemodynamic, or vascular theory of AMD progression, which states that vascular dysfunction of the choroid underlies AMD pathogenesis. Here, we re-evaluate this hypothesis in light of recent advances on molecular, anatomic, and hemodynamic changes underlying choroidal dysfunction in AMD. We propose an updated, detailed model of hemodynamic dysfunction as a mechanism of AMD development and progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Gelfand
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA; Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA. Electronic address: ja9qr@virginia.edu.
authors.forename: Jayakrishna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ambati
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002829:Choroid / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*