New Study Helps Predict Age-Related Eye Disease

Poor night vision might be a predictor of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a new study says.

AMD, the leading cause of vision loss in people ages 60 and older, results in the destruction of the macula in the eye's retina, the area that normally provides detailed, central vision.

The Study

More than 1,000 people with early signs of AMD were given a 10-item questionnaire asking them to rate their difficulties with night driving and low-light activities, such as reading or watching movies, then were followed annually for up to six years. Those with the worst night vision at the start were most likely to develop reduced visual acuity and advanced AMD.

The study was published in Ophthalmology.

Implication

Study leader Gui-shuang Ying, MD, PhD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said the simple questionnaire could prove useful in identifying patients at high risk of vision loss and advanced AMD.