The Journey of "Geographic Atrophy" through Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

"Geographic atrophy" is a concise term that has been firmly established for the description of the end-stage manifestation of nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). "Geographic lesions" resembling sharply demarcated continents on a map have been originally described in the German literature in 1854 (landkartenartiger/inselförmiger Zungenfratt) for a manifestation later called "geographic tongue" in English. In 1970, Gass was the first to describe "geographic areas of atrophy" in "senile macular choroidal degeneration." Within a decade, the disease itself was named "geographic atrophy." Today, various meanings of the term are used in parallel both in research and in routine clinical care. Currently, we are on the verge of better understanding the different forms of atrophy development, manifestation, and progression in AMD, which will pave the way for a more rational approach to their nomenclature and classification.