Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: It has been suggested that age–related macular degeneration (ARM) may be related to optic disc cupping. If so, this could lead to a misdiagnosis of suspected or definite glaucoma. We investigated the relationship of stages of age–related maculopathy and cup and disc measurements in the population–based Beaver Dam Eye Study. Methods: Persons ranging in age from 43 to 84 years and living in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, at the time of a census (1987–1988) were examined (n = 4926). Stereoscopic 30° color fundus photographs were graded to determine the presence of ARM according to the Wisconsin Age–Related Maculopathy Grading System. The optic cups and discs were measured using the Wisconsin Protocol for Optic Disc and Optic Cup Measurements. Vertical diameters for right eyes are reported in this analysis. Results: The age adjusted mean optic cup diameter for eyes with none, early, and late ARM were 0.061, 0.062, 0.058 inches respectively (p–trend = 0.18); mean disc diameters were 0.166, 0.167, and 0.164 inches, respectively (p–trend = 0.33); and the mean cup to disc ratios were 0.360, 0.367, and 0.350, respectively (p–trend = 0.26). Results from left eyes were similar. In addition, we compared cup and disc diameters between eyes for sixty–one people with late stage ARM. Differences between eyes for cup diameter, disc diameter or cup to disc ratio were not significantly larger among persons with unilateral late stage ARM than for persons with bilateral late stage ARM (p>0.4). Conclusions: Severity of ARM was not associated with cup and disc measurements. Thus, it is unlikely that cupping in persons with ARM would complicate the diagnosis of glaucoma.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • optic disc