Prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in rural central India: the Central India Eye and Medical Study

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the adult population of rural central India.

Methods: The population-based Central India Eye and Medical Study was conducted in rural central India and included 4,711 subjects (aged ≥30 years). Age-related macular degeneration was defined by the international classification of the Wisconsin age-related maculopathy grading system.

Results: Fundus photographs were available for 4,542 subjects (96.4%). In subjects aged ≥40, ≥50, and ≥60 years, prevalence of early AMD was 6.1 ± 0.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.3-6.9%), 8.2 ± 0.6% (95% CI: 7.0-9.4%), and 8.3 ± 0.8% (95% CI: 6.8-9.9%), respectively, and that of late AMD was 0.2 ± 0.8% (95% CI: 0.1-0.4%), 0.2 ± 0.1% (95% CI: 0.1-0.4%), and 0.6 ± 0.2% (95% CI: 0.2-1.0%), respectively. The prevalence of early AMD increased from 1.3 ± 0.3% per subject in the 30-year-old to 40-year-old group, to 3.6 ± 0.5% in the 41-year-old to 50-year-old group, to 7.9 ± 0.9% in the 51-year-old to 60-year-old group, to 10.0 ± 1.1% in the 61-year-old to 70-year-old group, to 8.3 ± 0.2% in the 71-year-old to 80-year-old group, and to 8.0 ± 5.5% in the ≥81-year-old group. Age-related macular degeneration was causative for visual impairment (best-corrected visual acuity in the better eye: <20/60 and ≥20/400) in 3 of 342 subjects (0.9%) and for blindness (visual acuity <20/400) in 0 of 17 subjects.

Conclusion: After age adjustment, AMD was found less frequently in the adult population of rural central India than in European populations. Accordingly, visual impairment because of AMD was relatively uncommon in rural central India.