PERIPAPILLARY RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM CHANGES IN AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

Abstract

To describe peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes observed in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and evaluate their prevalence. This study is a prospective, monocentric, comparative case series including 104 consecutive patients with AMD, and 34 patients who are more than 60 years old and consulting for other conditions (control group). Color and fundus autofluorescence images centered on the optic disk were taken and graded by 2 independent readers from 0 to 4: 0, absent; 1, uneven background; 2, focal hyperautofluorescent dots and spots; 3, light reticular pattern; 4, dense reticular pattern. Statistical analysis was performed to correlate the presence of peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes with age, sex, and AMD subtype. Peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes were observed in 76/104 AMD eyes (73.0%) and were significantly more frequent than in eyes with other conditions (14/34, 41.1%, P = 0.002), whereas groups did not differ for age (P = 0.14). Grade ≥2 peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes were more frequently observed in patients with AMD than in controls (41.3 vs. 17.6%, P = 0.013). No differences were found between patients with AMD having peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes and other patients for age distribution (P = 0.14), sex ratio (P = 0.34), or AMD type (P = 0.57). Peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes were more frequent in patients with AMD than in controls, and when present, they were of higher grade. Peripapillary retinal pigment epithelium changes significance is not yet understood and needs further evaluation.