INCIDENCE, PROGRESSION, AND RISK FACTORS OF EPIRETINAL MEMBRANES IN THE ELDERLY

Purpose: To determine the incidence, progression rate, and risk factors for epiretinal membranes (ERMs) in a population of French elderly subjects. Methods: Seven hundred and thirty-five eyes of 413 participants of the population-based ALIENOR study were included between 2009 and 2010. Participants were re-evaluated every 2 years between 2011 and 2017 (i.e., three follow-up visits). The mean duration of follow-up was 5.09 years (SD, 1.8; range, 0.99-7.85). Epiretinal membranes were graded from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images according to a standardized classification. Results: The incidence rate of ERMs was 9.42 per 100 eye-years (95% confidence interval, 7.36-12.05), corresponding to a 5-year cumulative incidence of 37.6%. In the final multivariable model, ERM incidence was significantly associated with vitreomacular or vitreopapillary adhesion at baseline (hazard ratio, 2.15; P = 0.02), choroidal thinning (hazard ratio, 1.04 per 10 mu m decrease; P = 0.02), ERM in the contralateral eye (P = 0.02), and smoking after 85 years (hazard ratio, 6.01; P = 0.003). The 5-year cumulative progression rate was 6.9%. Conclusion: Incidence of ERMs was higher in our population than that previously reported, most probably because of the use of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images. Incident ERMs were found to be associated with vitreous adhesion at baseline, choroidal thinning, ERM in the contralateral eye, and smoking after 85 years.