Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To investigate the relationship of cup to disc (CD) ratio to the prevalence and incidence of retinal vein occlusions (RVO) in the population–based Beaver Dam Eye Study. Methods: From 1988 to 1990, 4926 people between the ages of 43 and 84 were examined as part of the Beaver Dam Eye Study (BD1). Five years later, 3684 of the participants were reexamined (BD2). At each examination, color stereoscopic fundus photographs were obtained and graded to determine the presence of RVO. The optic cups and discs were measured using the Wisconsin Protocol for Optic Disc and Optic Cup Measurements. A Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) approach was used to calculate the Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) while adjusting for age. Results: At BD1, 38 people (38 eyes) had an RVO, and at BD2, 54 eyes of 51 people had an RVO. There were 31 incident cases of RVO at BD2. At BD1, we found that persons with higher CD ratios had a non–significant increased odds of having an RVO (OR = 1.10, CI = 0.88, 1.36). At BD2, persons with higher CD ratios had a significant increased odds of having an RVO (OR = 1.28, CI = 1.05, 1.55). When evaluating a temporal relationship between large CD and developing an RVO, eyes with higher CD ratios at BD1 were more likely to develop RVO at the BD2 examination (OR = 1.45, CI = 1.14, 1.84). The GEE models were still significant after adjusting for intraocular pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and smoking status at baseline. Conclusions: Persons with large cup to disc ratios are at greater risk of having or developing an RVO than those with smaller ratios.
Keywords: clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence • vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease • optic disc