Purpose: To estimate the age- and sex-specific prevalence of early age-related macular degeneration (AMD; drusen and retinal pigment abnormalities) and late AMD (exudative AMD and geographic atrophy) in the Japanese population.
Design: Community-based, cross-sectional study.
Methods: The study was held in Nagahama, Japan, and included 6065 Japanese individuals (aged ≥50 years) recruited in 2008-2010. We graded fundus photographs of both eyes for the AMD phenotype based on drusen size, the presence of retinal pigment abnormalities, and late AMD. The associations between smoking and AMD phenotypes were also evaluated.
Results: We assessed 5595 subjects (women, 65%) with a gradable macular condition. Early and late AMD prevalence increased from 16.1% and 0.27% at 50-59 years to 31.2% and 0.98%, respectively, at 70-74 years and was predominant in male subjects in each age group. Smoking was associated with both early and late AMD stages and retinal pigment abnormalities (P < .0001), but not with drusen (P = .305). The prevalence of retinal pigment abnormalities was significantly higher in men (P < .0001), which was associated with high rates of cigarette smoking. We found no sex difference for the prevalence of large drusen (P = .264).
Conclusions: The prevalence of early AMD among adult Japanese persons was similar to the rates in white populations. The prevalence of late AMD in Japanese people aged <70 years was similar to that observed in white populations, whereas that in Japanese people aged ≥70 years was relatively lower.
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