The AMD status was available in at least one eye of 875 subjects (91%). Of those, 769 had complete data for light exposure variables. In addition, 172 subjects had missing values in potential confounders, leaving 597 subjects in the fully adjusted models, representing 1154 eyes among which were 238 with early AMD and 49 with late AMD. Participants with missing data were not significantly different from those without missing data, with regard to age, sex, ambient UVR, or genetic polymorphisms (data not shown). Participants exposed to high ambient total UVR tended to be at increased risk for early AMD (OR = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.04–2.44;
P = 0.03), by comparison with participants with medium exposures (
Table 5). In addition, participants exposed to low ambient solar radiation were at increased risk for early AMD (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.06–2.69;
P = 0.03), by comparison with medium exposures. By contrast, no statistically significant associations of late AMD with UVR exposures were found. Overall, results were very similar for total UV, UVA, and UVB exposures. Among the potential confounders included in the multivariate models, those significantly associated with early AMD were age (OR = 1.06 for 1-year increase; 95% CI, 1.02–1.10;
P = 0.008), sex (OR = 1.95 for females versus males; 95% CI, 1.19–3.21;
P = 0.01),
ARMS2 A69S GT genotype (OR = 1.62; 95% CI, 1.12–2.35;
P = 0.01),
ARMS2 A69S TT genotype (OR = 12.09; 95% CI, 4.63–31.55;
P < 0.0001), and
CFH Y402H CC genotype (OR = 1.89; 95% CI, 1.13–3.16;
P = 0.01). The factors significantly associated with late AMD were age (OR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.14–1.35;
P < 0.0001), sex (OR = 2.93; 95% CI, 1.16–7.43;
P = 0.02),
ARMS2 A69S TT genotype (OR = 59.71; 95% CI, 15.53–229.57;
P < 0.0001),
CFH Y402H TC genotype (OR = 3.49; 95% CI, 1.31–9.30;
P = 0.009),
CFH Y402H CC genotype (OR = 6.68; 95% CI, 2.05–21.77;
P = 0.001), dietary omega3 fatty acids intake (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41–0.96;
P = 0.03), and secondary education (OR = 7.46; 95% CI, 1.63–34.05;
P = 0.01). We detected no significant interactions of genetic polymorphisms with UVR exposure.