Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Malay Population: The Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES)

Abstract

Purpose: : To describe prevalence of age related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Malay population.

Methods: : The Singapore Malay Eye Study (SiMES) examined an age-stratified random sample of 3,280 Malays aged 40 to 80 years in southwestern part of Singapore (response rate 78.7%). Of these, 3,265 (99.5%) had digital fundus photographs with sufficient quality for assessing AMD. AMD grading was performed at the Centre for Vision Research, University of Sydney, using a modification of the Wisconsin Age-related Maculopathy Grading System.

Results: : Early and late AMD were present in 160 (4.9%) and 23 (0.7%) of 3,265 subjects, respectively. After age-standardized to the Singapore Census data, the prevalence of early and late AMD in Malay people aged 40+ years was estimated to be 3.5% and 0.34%, respectively. Early AMD was more prevalent in men than women (6.1% vs. 3.8%; age-adjusted odds ratio [OR] 1.5, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1, 2.1). This gender difference persisted after adjustment for smoking (age-smoking-adjusted OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.1, 2.5), and was seen even amongst non-smokers (age-adjusted OR 1.6, CI 1.0, 2.5). Late AMD was also more prevalent in men, but this association was not statistically significant (1.0% vs. 0.41%; age-adjusted OR 2.0, CI 0.8, 4.9). Among subjects aged 74 years or younger, the prevalence of late AMD in Malays was similar to other Asian and white populations, but among those 75 years or older, the prevalence in Malays was higher than Asian populations but lower than white populations.

Conclusions: : The prevalence of early and late AMD in Malay people 40 years or older was 3.5% and late AMD 0.34%. Men were more likely to have early AMD than women, which was not fully explained by the higher prevalence of smoking in men.

Keywords: age-related macular degeneration