Purpose
To investigate retinal sensitivity in patients with soft and pseudoreticular drusen without any sign of advanced age-related macular degeneration.
Methods
Multicolor picture, infrared reflective imaging, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography using Heidelberg Spectralis (Heidelberg Engineering) were used to identify and classify drusen. Microperimetry were performed in 63 consecutive patients by means Maia microperimetry (Centervue, Padova Italy), using the standard pattern. Retinal sensitivity were tested at 1° and 3° centered in the fovea. Six measurement points in the upper and lower macula area were analyzed. Two indipendent observer classified the different drusen type. Agreement was assessed with Kappa statistic. Retinal sensitivity of soft and pseudoreticular drusen were compared with ANOVA and MANOVA
Results
40 patients with soft drusen and 23 with reticular pseudodrusen were identified. Microperimetry test has a mean duration of 6 minutes. Retinal sensitivity decreased in pseudoreticular drusen only at 3°. This difference is more evident in the superior field. MANOVA do not shows significantly differences in this pattern between nasal, center and temporal area.
Conclusions
This study shows the significantly different sensitivity between reticular pseudodrusen and soft drusen in the area where rods are more present. This could confirm that reticular pseudodrusen are photoreceptor disease sign. This small study already suggest that it is possible to limit to only six points test which reduce the time to only 3 minutes.
Keywords: 642 perimetry •
504 drusen •
412 age-related macular degeneration