Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the influence of a cilioretinal artery on the visual acuity in elderly individuals.
Methods: :
A representative and randomly selected sample of persons from the Østerbro population was included: 827 individuals aged 60–80 years were assessed for a cilioretinal artery using colour fundus photographs. Visual acuity in eyes of individuals with an identified unilateral cilioretinal artery was compared to the contralateral eye and subsequently stratified and analyzed concerning age and macular pathology.
Results: :
209 (25.3%) individuals had a unilateral cilioretinal artery, 54 (6.5%) had bilateral cilioretinal arteries. The fraction of eyes with the cilioretinal artery was not influenced by age or sex. Age stratification revealed that the younger and older individuals (60–66 and 74–80 years, respectively) had the same visual acuity in eyes with and without a cilioretinal artery. Individuals aged 67–73 years had a significantly reduced visual acuity in eyes with a cilioretinal artery (p=0.04). Stratification concerning macular pathology showed that the people aged 67–73 years had significantly reduced visual acuity in the eyes with a cilioretinal artery (p=0.02).
Conclusions: :
A cilioretinal artery is associated with a decreased visual acuity among elderly people 67–73 years, especially those with macular pathology.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • vision and action • anatomy