Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: To determine whether an association exists between the incidence of Central Serous Chorioretinopathy (CSCR) and the seasons of the year, as well as the varying hours of daylight throughout the year. Methods: A retrospective study of CSCR patient charts was carried out from January 1999 to April 2003 (total n=150). Parameters examined included age, sex, and Snellen visual acuity (VA) at onset, presentation and resolution. Also examined, was time of onset, presentation and resolution, which was subsequently compared with seasonal variation in daylight hours for the Northern Alberta region, using Edmonton averages as standard. Using the Chi squared test, correlations between incidence of CSCR and time of year were examined. Results: 84% of presenting patients were males, 16% were females. The average age at presentation was 43, ranging from 25 to 73. Snellen visual acuity at presentation averaged between 20/30 to 20/40 for males and females. Final VA was 20/25 to 20/30 on average for both sexes. In males, there was a statistically significant (p=0.02) association between rate and the month of presentation with CSCR. Furthermore, the male cohort also demonstrated a statistically significant association between daylight hours and peak time to resolution (p=0.047). Conclusions: A significant association exists between a greater number of daylight hours and resolution of disease in men. While unable to demonstrate an annual trend, this distribution of CSCR was statistically proven to be attributable to more than chance. A greater number of cases of CSCR presented in the spring, consistent with our initial clinical observation that onset seemed to correlate with lower daylight hours over the winter months.
Keywords: retinal pigment epithelium • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: prevalence/incidence