AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION UPDATE: A REVIEW OF PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL FINDINGS, AND TREATMENT

BY MARCO ZARBIN, MD, PhD, FACS

Supported in part by Research to Prevent Blindness, Inc. and the New Jersey Lions Eye Research Foundation.

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Figure 1A

	Figure 1B

Figure 1. Fundus photograph of a patient with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration.

A. The pale round subretinal spots, termed drusen, are a typical feature of the disease and are accumulations of cellular debris between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and the subjacent choroid. Small hard and larger soft drusen are present.

B. Fluorescein angiography demonstrates that many of the drusen are hyperfluorescent and more clearly demonstrates the presence of small drusen. Hyperfluorescence arises partly because of RPE rarefaction (with loss of pigment) over the drusen and partly because of dye leakage into the subRPE deposits. Drusen clusters are readily apparent on the fluorescent angiogram.

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