| Abstract: | Macular diseases in the elderly, such as age-related macular degeneration, idiopathic senile macular hole and epiretinal membrane of the macular area were studied. In 75 normal subjects aged from 20 to 78 years, retinal sensitivity in the central 10 degree visual field were examined using automated static quantitative perimetry. For background luminance of 31.5 asb, a significant reciprocal correlation was demonstrated between individual mean sensitivity and age. The influence of age on the decrease in sensitivity was proved to differ according to different test locations. To enhance contrast, an image processing procedure was applied for fluorescein angiographs of age-related pathologies which resulted in better recognition of age-related RPE pathologies were recognized. The senile disciform macular degeneration (SDMD) study group sponsored by the Ministry of Health and Welfare performed an epidemiological survey to estimate the number of patients with SDMD. The epidemiological estimation was 6,000 to 13,000 patients in the entire Japanese population. 133 eyes of uni- or bi-lateral senile macular degeneration without choroidal neovascularization and 156 opposite eyes of patients with unilateral SDMD were followed-up for choroidal neovascularization development. Choroidal neovascularization development was confirmed in 15 eyes, 5.2%. In 13 of the 15 eyes, choroidal neovascularization was proved to develop through serous RPE detachment. Also, serous drusen were shown to be to predisposed to choroidal neovascularization through serous RPE detachment. Therefore, it was concluded that senile macular degeneration should be classified into the atrophic form, predisciform or intermediate form and disciform form. In the author's previous paper, it was reported that the navel-like lesion would be a macular lesion predisposing to a senile macular hole. 49 opposite eye of patients with one eye affected by a macular hole were follow-up for macular hole development. At the initial examination, the navel-like lesion was observed in 5 of the 49 eyes. During the course of observation, navel-like lesions developed in one of the other 27 eyes with other abnormalities and in 4 of the 17 eyes without any abnormality. Finally, macular holes developed in 11 of the 49 eyes; in 10 eyes with a navel-like lesion and one eye with another abnormality. We found a 17 year old female Japanese monkey with pre-macular holes in both eyes and clinicopathological correlative study was carried out. In her right eye, photoreceptor cell loss at the foveola, circumferential retinal detachment around the area of cell loss, cystoid spaces in the detached retina, and very thin residual tissue covering the foveolar lesion were observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) |
