Six-Year Incidence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Asian Malays

Purpose: To determine the 6-year incidence of early and late age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a Singaporean Malay population and to validate the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) simplified severity scale in Asians. Design: Prospective, population cohort study. Participants: The Singapore Malay Eye Study baseline participants (age, >= 40 years; 2006-2008) were followed up in 2011 through 2013, and 1901 of 3280 of eligible participants (72.1%) took part. Methods: Fundus photographs were graded using the Wisconsin AMD grading system. Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of early and late AMD. Results: Gradable fundus photographs were available for 1809 participants who attended both baseline and 6-year follow-up examinations. The age-standardized incidences of early and late AMD were 5.89% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.81-7.16) and 0.76% (95% CI, 0.42-1.29), respectively. The 5-year age-standardized incidence of early AMD (calculated based on the 6-year incidence) was lower in our population (5.58%; 95% CI, 4.43-7.01) compared with the Beaver Dam Eye Study population (8.19%). The incidence of late AMD in our population was similar to that of the Beaver Dam Eye Study population (0.98% [95% CI, 0.49-1.86] vs. 0.91%), the Blue Mountains Eye Study population (1.10% [95% CI, 0.52-9.56] vs. 1.10%), and the Hisayama Study population (1.09% [95% CI, 0.54-4.25] vs. 0.84%). The incidence of late AMD increased markedly with increasing baseline AREDS score (step 0, 0.23%; step 4, 9.09%). Conclusions: This study documented the incidence of early and late AMD in a Malay population. The AREDS simplified severity scale is useful in predicting the risk of late AMD development in Asians. (C) 2017 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.