Abstract
Purpose :
To estimate the characteristics of geographic atrophy (GA) in Korean patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including its incidence, phenotypes, and progression patterns.
Methods :
This retrospective longitudinal cohort study included Korean patients with intermediate (for GA incidence analysis) or advanced (prevalent GA, for baseline phenotype and progression analysis) dry AMD and followed for ≥ 3 years at Asan medical center. The GA incidence, phenotypes, and progression patterns were evaluated using multimodal images, including fundus photography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and fundus autofluorescence. Risk factors for fast progression were identified by logistic regression.
Results :
During 60.3±15.5 months, 8.3% of eyes with intermediate dry AMD (396 eyes from 223 patients) developed GA. Eyes with prevalent GA (88 eyes from 58 patients), mean lesion size of 7.3±8.1mm2, exhibited bilateral involvement (51.7%), banded/diffuse FAF patterns (83.0%), extrafoveal location (53.4%), multifocal lesions (81.8%), and presence of drusen (55.7%) more commonly. The progression rates were 1.5±1.1 mm2/year with centripetal progression in 53.4% and BCVA deterioration of 0.6±0.7 LogMAR. Significant risk factors for fast progression were banded/diffuse FAF patterns and multifocal lesions. Eyes with these risk factors exhibited faster progression rates (1.8±0.9 mm2/year, both) with more frequent centripetal progression (57.5% and 56.9%, respectively) and greater BCVA deterioration (0.7±0.8 LogMAR, both).
Conclusions :
This study suggests 5-year GA incidence of 8.3% in Korean patients with intermediate dry AMD. It also suggests that progression patterns of GA in Korean patients can be aggressive, comparable with non-Asians, especially in patients with risk factors for fast progression in their baseline phenotypes.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.