[Genetic and risk factors for exudative AMD]

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex disease of the central retina and the most important cause of blindness in the elderly. Exudative AMD in particular is responsible for cases of rapidly progressive visual impairment. Knowledge of pathogenetic mechanisms in exudative AMD is of particular importance for individual prognosis and the development of preventive and therapeutic options. Apart from age, smoking is the only consistently found major modifiable risk factor. Exudative AMD has a clear genetic basis with variants in the CFH and ARMS2 genes as major contributors. While ARMS2 seems to primarily influence the progression to exudative AMD, CFH seems equally related to the development of the exudative and atrophic forms of late AMD. Further differences relating to genetic and environmental risk factors in subgroups of exudative AMD are to be expected from future studies.