Anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents are strongly associated with the development of large subretinal hemorrhages in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients, according to a new study. Patients with thick submacular hemorrhage complicating AMD typically have a poor visual prognosis. According to retrospective reports, the natural...

Cholesterol-lowering stain drugs do not have a strong protective effect against the developement of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among patients with intermediate AMD, according to a new study. Statins (hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) are a class of drugs that, in addition to lowering cholesterol, have...

A new study examining the relationship between the choriocapillaris (CC) and retinal pigment epithelial changes in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) finds that the primary insult in geographic atrophy (GA) appears to be at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), where retinal pigment epithelial atrophy preceeds secondary...

Persons with early AMD have a higher risk of heart disease but not stroke, according to a new research study. Although the cause of AMD remains poorly understood, increasing evidence suggests that it may share similar risk factors and common pathogenic mechanisms with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both AMD and CVD are linked with various...

A new study finds skin autoflourescence, a measure of overall metabolic stress, is greater in persons with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Tissue advanced glycation end products (AGE) are a measure of cumulative metabolic stress. AGE accumulation within the body results from a combination of hyperglycemia, oxidative/carbonyl stress, and/...

A new study finds evidence of systemic complement activation in patients with recent onset exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is belived that chronic inflammatory processes play a role in the progression of AMD. The complement system plays an important role in modulating the inflammatory response. Activation of the complement...

A new report from the Blue Mountains Eye Study finds that eating fish and nuts decreases the risk of early AMD, especially in people who avoid foods containing linoleic acid. There is growing evidence of the role of diet on the risk or the progression of AMD. The AREDS study found that a high-dose supplement of zinc and antioxidant vitamins (...

A 10-year nationally representative longitudinal study of individuals aged 68 years and older with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) found that persons with AMD had higher rates of visual and functional impairments and had more illness than persons without AMD. This is a longitudinal retrospective cohort study (January 1, 1994-December 31...

Ocular Surgery News reports that results of four studies suggest that ophthalmologists and cardiologists should consider common risk factors for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cardiovascular disease. Cross-disciplinary awareness of the shared risk factors between cardiovascular disease and AMD is important in treating patients with...