Validated Prediction Models for Macular Degeneration Progression and Predictors of Visual Acuity Loss Identify High-Risk Individuals

Risk and protection of different rare protein-coding variants of complement component C4A in age-related macular degeneration

Introduction: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of central vision loss in the elderly. One-third of the genetic contribution to this disease remains unexplained. Methods: We analyzed targeted sequencing data from two independent cohorts (4,245 cases, 1,668 controls) which included genomic regions of known AMD loci in 49 genes. Results: At a false discovery rate of <0.01, we identified 11 low-frequency AMD variants (minor allele frequency <0.05). Two of those variants were present in the complement C4A gene, including the replacement of the residues that contribute to the Rodgers-1/Chido-1 blood group antigens: [VDLL1207-1210ADLR (V1207A)] with discovery odds ratio (OR) = 1.7 (p = 3.2 × 10-5) which was replicated in the UK Biobank dataset (3,294 cases, 200,086 controls, OR = 1.52, p = 0.037). A novel variant associated with reduced risk for AMD in our discovery cohort was P1120T, one of the four C4A-isotypic residues. Gene-based tests yielded aggregate effects of nonsynonymous variants in 10 genes including C4A, which were associated with increased risk of AMD. In human eye tissues, immunostaining demonstrated C4A protein accumulation in and around endothelial cells of retinal and choroidal vasculature, and total C4 in soft drusen. Conclusion: Our results indicate that C4A protein in the complement activation pathways may play a role in the pathogenesis of AMD.

Personalized Care in Eye Health: Exploring Opportunities, Challenges, and the Road Ahead for Chatbots

In modern eye care, the adoption of ophthalmology chatbots stands out as a pivotal technological progression. These digital assistants present numerous benefits, such as better access to vital information, heightened patient interaction, and streamlined triaging. Recent evaluations have highlighted their performance in both the triage of ophthalmology conditions and ophthalmology knowledge assessment, underscoring their potential and areas for improvement. However, assimilating these chatbots into the prevailing healthcare infrastructures brings challenges. These encompass ethical dilemmas, legal compliance, seamless integration with electronic health records (EHR), and fostering effective dialogue with medical professionals. Addressing these challenges necessitates the creation of bespoke standards and protocols for ophthalmology chatbots. The horizon for these chatbots is illuminated by advancements and anticipated innovations, poised to redefine the delivery of eye care. The synergy of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) with chatbots amplifies their diagnostic prowess. Additionally, their capability to adapt linguistically and culturally ensures they can cater to a global patient demographic. In this article, we explore in detail the utilization of chatbots in ophthalmology, examining their accuracy, reliability, data protection, security, transparency, potential algorithmic biases, and ethical considerations. We provide a comprehensive review of their roles in the triage of ophthalmology conditions and knowledge assessment, emphasizing their significance and future potential in the field.

Family History of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Genetics Predict Progression to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration Adjusting for Macular Status, Demographic, and Lifestyle Factors

PURPOSE

To determine if a family history of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and genetic variants identify eyes at higher risk for progression to advanced AMD (AAMD), after controlling for baseline demographics, behavioral factors, and macular status.

DESIGN

Prospective, longitudinal cohort study.

METHODS

Eyes were classified using the Age-Related Eye Disease Study severity scale. Non-genetic and genetic predictors for progression to AAMD, geographic atrophy, and neovascular disease were evaluated. Cox proportional hazards models using the eye as the unit of analysis were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs), accounting for correlated data. Discrimination between progressing and non-progressing eyes was assessed using C-statistics and net reclassification improvement (NRI).

RESULTS

Among 4910 eyes, 863 progressed to AAMD over 12 years. Baseline AMD severity scale and status of the fellow eye were important predictors; genes provided additional discrimination. A family history of AMD also independently predicted progression after accounting for genetic and other covariates: 1 family member versus none (HR 1.21 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.02-1.43]; P = 0.03); ≥2 family members versus none (HR 1.55 [95% CI 1.26-1.90]; P < 0.001). A composite risk score calculated using β estimates of both non-genetic and significant genetic factors predicted progression to AAMD (HR 5.57; 90th vs 10th percentile; area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] = 0.92), providing superior fit compared with other models, including one with only ocular variables (NRI = 0.34; P < 0.001; AUC = 0.87, ΔAUC 0.05 ± 0.005; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Genetic variants and family history provided additional discrimination for predicting progression to AAMD, after accounting for baseline macular status and other covariates.

Symmetry of Macular Fundus Features in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE

The symmetry of major macular fundus features in both eyes of the same patient with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was investigated using swept-source(SS)-OCT.

DESIGN

Retrospective review of a prospective study.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with AMD.

METHODS

Grading was performed on the first SS-OCT images obtained on the patients. Two graders diagnosed the presence of drusen, geographic atrophy (GA), and exudative AMD (eAMD) in each eye. Medical records were reviewed to assess prior exudation. To assess symmetry, 1 eye of each patient was randomly selected as the index eye and compared with the fellow eye. The kappa statistic (κ) was used to assess the symmetry of diagnosis. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to assess the symmetry of drusen area and volume.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Interocular symmetry of the AMD stages: drusen, GA, and eAMD.

RESULTS

A total of 1310 patients with AMD were included. The average age was 78 years (range, 50-102; 60% women). Of the 1310 subjects, 54% (701) presented with symmetric disease: 20% with bilateral drusen, 11% with bilateral GA, and 22% with bilateral eAMD. Only 0.5% of the subjects had both GA and eAMD in both eyes. Of the randomly selected index eyes, 825 (47%) were right eyes. Overall, limited interocular agreement was observed between the index and fellow eyes (54%; κ = 0.29). Kappa coefficients were poor (< 0.4) for index eyes diagnosed with drusen (κ = 0.27), eAMD (κ = 0.17), and mixed disease (κ = 0.03). There was moderate agreement between the index and fellow eyes for GA (κ = 0.50). Of the 265 patients with bilateral drusen, the symmetry of drusen area measurements had moderate ICC values of 0.70, 0.71, and 0.70 in the 3- and 5-mm diameter foveal-centered circles and in the total scan area, respectively. The ICC values for the drusen volumes were 0.65, 0.66, and 0.64, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Interocular symmetry was poor for eyes with drusen, eAMD, and mixed disease, but moderate for GA. Although the diagnosis of drusen was not very symmetric between eyes, when present in both eyes, the drusen area and volume measurements were moderately symmetric.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE(S)

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Rare Dysfunctional Complement Factor I Genetic Variants and Progression to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose

To evaluate associations between rare dysfunctional complement factor I (CFI) genetic variant status and progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AAMD), geographic atrophy (GA), and neovascular disease (NV).

Design

Prospective, longitudinal study.

Participants

Patients aged 55 to 80 years at baseline identifying as White with non-AAMD in 1 or both eyes at baseline were included. Follow-up grades were assigned as early, intermediate, or AAMD (GA or NV). CFI variants were categorized using genotyping and sequencing platforms.

Methods

Analyses were performed using the Seddon Longitudinal Cohort Study (N = 2116 subjects, 3901 eyes, and mean follow-up of 8.3 years) and the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (N = 2837 subjects, 5200 eyes, and mean follow-up of 9.2 years). CFI rare variants associated with low serum factor I (FI) protein levels and decreased FI function (type 1), other AMD genetic variants, and demographic, behavioral, and ocular factors were evaluated. Generalized estimating equations methods were used to assess the association between CFI rare variants and progression, independent of other genetic variants and covariates.

Main Outcome Measures

Progression to AAMD, GA, or NV.

Results

In the prospective cohort of 4953 subjects (9101 eyes with non-AAMD at baseline), 1% were type 1 rare CFI carriers. Over 12 years, progression to AAMD was 44% for carriers and 20% for noncarriers (P < 0.001), 30% of carriers versus 10% of noncarriers progressed to GA (P < 0.001), and 18% of carriers compared with 11% of noncarriers progressed to NV (P = 0.049). CFI carriers were more likely to have a family history of AMD (P for trend = 0.035) and a higher baseline AMD grade (P < 0.001). After adjusting for all covariates, CFI carrier status was associated with progression to GA (odds ratio [OR] = 1.91; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.03, 3.52) but not NV (OR = 0.96). Higher body mass index was associated with progression among CFI carriers (body mass index ≥ 25 vs. < 25; OR = 5.8; 95% CI 1.5, 22.3) but not for noncarriers (OR = 1.1; 95% CI = 0.9, 1.3), with P_interaction = 0.011.

Conclusions

Results suggest that carriers of rare dysfunctional type 1 CFI variants are at higher risk for progression to AAMD with GA.

Financial Disclosures

Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found after the references.

Evaluation of Risk Prediction with Hierarchical Data: Dependency Adjusted Confidence Intervals for the AUC

The area under the true ROC curve (AUC) is routinely used to determine how strongly a given model discriminates between the levels of a binary outcome. Standard inference with the AUC requires that outcomes be independent of each other. To overcome this limitation, a method was developed for the estimation of the variance of the AUC in the setting of two-level hierarchical data using probit-transformed prediction scores generated from generalized estimating equation models, thereby allowing for the application of inferential methods. This manuscript presents an extension of this approach so that inference for the AUC may be performed in a three-level hierarchical data setting (e.g., eyes nested within persons and persons nested within families). A method that accounts for the effect of tied prediction scores on inference is also described. The performance of 95% confidence intervals around the AUC was assessed through the simulation of three-level clustered data in multiple settings, including ones with tied data and variable cluster sizes. Across all settings, the actual 95% confidence interval coverage varied from 0.943 to 0.958, and the ratio of the theoretical variance to the empirical variance of the AUC varied from 0.920 to 1.013. The results are better than those from existing methods. Two examples of applying the proposed methodology are presented.

Identifying Novel Genes and Variants in Immune and Coagulation Pathways Associated with Macular Degeneration

Purpose

To select individuals and families with a low genetic burden for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), to inform the clinical diagnosis of macular disorders, and to find novel genetic variants associated with maculopathies.

Design

Genetic association study based on targeted and whole-exome sequencing.

Participants

A total of 758 subjects (481 individuals with maculopathy and 277 controls), including 316 individuals in 72 families.

Methods

We focused on 150 genes involved in the complement, coagulation, and inflammatory pathways. Single-variant tests were performed on 7755 variants shared among ≥ 5 subjects using logistic regression. Gene-based tests were used to evaluate aggregate effects from rare and low-frequency variants (at minor allele frequency [MAF] ≤ 5% or ≤ 1%) in a gene using burden tests. For families whose affected members had a low burden of genetic risk based on known common and rare variants related to AMD, we searched for rare variants (MAF < 0.001) whose risk alleles occurred in ≥ 80% of affected individuals but not in controls. Immunohistochemistry was performed to determine the protein expression of a novel gene (coagulation factor II thrombin receptor-like 2 [F2RL2]) in retinal tissues.

Main Outcome Measures

Genotypes and phenotypes of macular degeneration.

Results

We confirmed the association of a synonymous variant in complement factor H (Ala473, rs2274700, proxy to intronic rs1410996, r 2  = 1) with maculopathy (odds ratio, 0.64; P = 4.5 × 10-4). Higher AMD polygenic risk scores (PRSs) were associated with intermediate and advanced AMD. Among families with low PRSs and no known rare variants for maculopathy, we identified 2 novel, highly penetrant missense rare variants in ADAM15, A disintegrin and metalloprotease, metallopeptidase domain 15 (p.Arg288Cys) and F2RL2 (p.Leu289Arg). Immunohistochemistry analyses revealed F2RL2 protein expression in cone photoreceptor outer segments and Müller glia cells of human and pig retinas. Coagulation factor II thrombin receptor-like 2 expression appeared increased in fibrotic areas in advanced AMD samples with neovascularization, suggesting that F2RL2 may play a role in the progression to advanced macular disease.

Conclusions

New missense rare variants in the genes ADAM15 and F2RL2 were associated with maculopathies. Results suggest that novel genes related to the coagulation and immune pathways may be involved in the pathogenesis of macular diseases.

Deep ensemble learning for automated non-advanced AMD classification using optimized retinal layer segmentation and SD-OCT scans

BACKGROUND

Accurate retinal layer segmentation in optical coherence tomography (OCT) images is crucial for quantitatively analyzing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and monitoring its progression. However, previous retinal segmentation models depend on experienced experts and manually annotating retinal layers is time-consuming. On the other hand, accuracy of AMD diagnosis is directly related to the segmentation model's performance. To address these issues, we aimed to improve AMD detection using optimized retinal layer segmentation and deep ensemble learning.

METHOD

We integrated a graph-cut algorithm with a cubic spline to automatically annotate 11 retinal boundaries. The refined images were fed into a deep ensemble mechanism that combined a Bagged Tree and end-to-end deep learning classifiers. We tested the developed deep ensemble model on internal and external datasets.

RESULTS

The total error rates for our segmentation model using the boundary refinement approach was significantly lower than OCT Explorer segmentations (1.7% vs. 7.8%, p-value = 0.03). We utilized the refinement approach to quantify 169 imaging features using Zeiss SD-OCT volume scans. The presence of drusen and thickness of total retina, neurosensory retina, and ellipsoid zone to inner-outer segment (EZ-ISOS) thickness had higher contributions to AMD classification compared to other features. The developed ensemble learning model obtained a higher diagnostic accuracy in a shorter time compared with two human graders. The area under the curve (AUC) for normal vs. early AMD was 99.4%.

CONCLUSION

Testing results showed that the developed framework is repeatable and effective as a potentially valuable tool in retinal imaging research.

Polygenic Risk Score Impact on Susceptibility to Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Polish Patients

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common retina degenerative disease with a complex genetic and environmental background. This study aimed to determine the polygenic risk score (PRS) stratification between the AMD case and control patients. The PRS model was established on the targeted sequencing data of a cohort of 471 patients diagnosed with AMD and 167 healthy controls without symptoms of retinal degeneration. The highest predictive value to the target dataset was achieved for a 22-variant model with a p-value lower than threshold PT = 0.0123. The median PRS for cases was higher by 1.1 than for control samples (95% CI: (−1.19; −0.85)). The patients in the highest quantile had a significantly higher relative risk of developing AMD than those in the lowest reference quantile (OR = 35.13, 95% CI: (7.9; 156.1), p < 0.001). The diagnostic ability was investigated using ROC analysis with AUC = 0.76 (95% CI: (0.72; 0.80)). The polygenic susceptibility to AMD may be the starting point to expand AMD diagnostics based on rare highly penetrant variants and investigate associations with disease progression and treatment response in Polish patients in future studies.

Genetic Aspects of Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Their Therapeutic Potential

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex and multifactorial disease, resulting from the interaction of environmental and genetic factors. The continuous discovery of associations between genetic polymorphisms and AMD gives reason for the pivotal role attributed to the genetic component to its development. In that light, genetic tests and polygenic scores have been created to predict the risk of development and response to therapy. Still, none of them have yet been validated. Furthermore, there is no evidence from a clinical trial that the determination of the individual genetic structure can improve treatment outcomes. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the polymorphisms of the main pathogenetic ways involved in AMD development to identify which of them constitutes a potential therapeutic target. As complement overactivation plays a major role, the modulation of targeted complement proteins seems to be a promising therapeutic approach. Herein, we summarize the complement-modulating molecules now undergoing clinical trials, enlightening those in an advanced phase of trial. Gene therapy is a potential innovative one-time treatment, and its relevance is quickly evolving in the field of retinal diseases. We describe the state of the art of gene therapies now undergoing clinical trials both in the field of complement-suppressors and that of anti-VEGF.

Role of Adiponectin Peptide I (APNp1) in Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can cause central vision loss, particularly in the elderly population. There are 2 classes of AMD, wet-type and dry-type. Wet-type involves excess angiogenesis around the macula, referred to as choroidal neovascularization (CNV). This can result in leaky vessels, often causing more severe vision loss than dry-type AMD. Adiponectin peptide 1 (APNp1) has been shown to slow the progression of CNV. Here, we used a mouse model and FITC-labeled APNp1 to determine if APNp1 could be delivered effectively as an eye drop. Our experiment revealed that topically applied FITC-APNp1 could reach the macula of the eye, which is crucial for treating wet-type AMD. We also tested delivery of APNp1 via injection of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector in a mouse model of CNV. AAV is a harmless virus easy to manipulate and is very often used for protein or peptide deliveries. Results revealed an increase in the expression of APNp1 in the retina and choroid over a 28-day period. Finally, we investigated the mechanism by which APNp1 affects CNV by examining the expression of adiponectin receptor 1 (AdipoR1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the retinal and choroidal tissue of the mouse eyes. AdipoR1 and PCNA were overexpressed in these tissues in mice with laser-induced CNV compared to naïve mice. Based on our data shown here, we think it will enhance our understanding of APNp1 as a therapeutic agent for wet-type AMD and possible treatment alternatives that could be more beneficial for patients.

A Screening Tool for Self-Evaluation of Risk for Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Validation in a Spanish Population

Purpose

The objectives of this study were the creation and validation of a screening tool for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) for routine assessment by primary care physicians, ophthalmologists, other healthcare professionals, and the general population.

Methods

A simple, self-administered questionnaire (Simplified Théa AMD Risk-Assessment Scale [STARS] version 4.0) which included well-established risk factors for AMD, such as family history, smoking, and dietary factors, was administered to patients during ophthalmology visits. A fundus examination was performed to determine presence of large soft drusen, pigmentary abnormalities, or late AMD. Based on data from the questionnaire and the clinical examination, predictive models were developed to estimate probability of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) score (categorized as low risk/high risk). The models were evaluated by area under the receiving operating characteristic curve analysis.

Results

A total of 3854 subjects completed the questionnaire and underwent a fundus examination. Early/intermediate and late AMD were detected in 15.9% and 23.8% of the patients, respectively. A predictive model was developed with training, validation, and test datasets. The model in the test set had an area under the curve of 0.745 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.705-0.784), a positive predictive value of 0.500 (95% CI = 0.449-0.557), and a negative predictive value of 0.810 (95% CI = 0.770-0.844).

Conclusions

The STARS questionnaire version 4.0 and the model identify patients at high risk of developing late AMD.

Translational Relevance

The screening instrument described could be useful to evaluate the risk of late AMD in patients >55 years without having an eye examination, which could lead to more timely referrals and encourage lifestyle changes.

The negative impact of COVID-19 pandemic on age-related macular degeneration patients treated with intravitreal bevacizumab injections

Purpose

COVID-19 emerged in the end of 2019 and was declared a worldwide pandemic shortly after. Social distancing and lockdowns resulted in lower compliance in intravitreal injections and office visits. We aimed to assess clinical outcomes among patients who missed these visits compared to those who arrived as planned.

Methods

Patients who missed or were late to office visits or intravitreal injections were defined as non-adherent and were compared to adherent patients. Our main outcomes were the need for subsequent injections, mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and central macular thickness (CMT).

Results

This study included 77 patients (24 adherent and 53 non-adherent). The mean BCVA remained stable during the study period for the adherent group (p = 0.159) and worsened in the non-adherent group (p < 0.001). Changes in CMT and maximum thickness were not significant for either group. A higher proportion of patients in the non-adherent group needed subsequent intravitreal injections (49% vs 20%, p = 0.014).

Conclusion

The findings demonstrate the negative implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and the effect of deferring bevacizumab injections among individuals with age-related macular degeneration. This emphasizes the importance of a scheduled follow-up, also during a pandemic.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10792-022-02337-y.

Functional analysis of rare genetic variants in complement factor I in advanced age-related macular degeneration

Factor I (FI) is a serine protease inhibitor of the complement system. Heterozygous rare genetic variants in complement factor I (CFI) are associated with advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The clinical impact of these variants is unknown since a majority have not been functionally characterized and are classified as 'variants of uncertain significance' (VUS). This study assessed the functional significance of VUS in CFI. Our previous cross-sectional study using a serum-based assay demonstrated that CFI variants in advanced AMD can be categorized into three types. Type 1 variants cause a quantitative deficiency of FI. Type 2 variants demonstrate a qualitative deficiency. However, Type 3 variants consist of VUS that are less dysfunctional than Types 1 and 2 but are not as biologically active as wild type (WT). In this study, we employed site-directed mutagenesis followed by expression of the recombinant variant and a comprehensive set of functional assays to characterize nine Type 3 variants that were identified in 37 individuals. Our studies establish that the expression of the recombinant protein compared with WT is reduced for R202I, Q217H, S221Y and G263V. Further, G362A and N536K, albeit expressed normally, have significantly less cofactor activity. These results led to re-categorization of CFI variants R202I, Q217H, S221Y and G263V as Type 1 variants and to reclassification of N536K and G362A as Type 2. The variants K441R, Q462H and I492L showed no functional defect and remained as Type 3. This study highlights the utility of an in-depth biochemical analysis in defining the pathologic and clinical implications of complement variants underlying AMD.

Sex and Age-Related Differences in Complement Factors Among Patients With Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an acquired degenerative disease of the retina classified into early, intermediate, and advanced AMD. A key factor in the pathogenesis of AMD is the complement system. The interaction of age and sex with the complement system may affect the risk of developing AMD. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were sex-specific differences in levels of complement factors among patients with the intermediate phenotype of AMD (iAMD) and explore the correlation between age and complement proteins.

Methods

We studied complement factors in patients with iAMD and controls without AMD. Nonparametric, rank-based linear regressions including a sex by AMD interaction were used to compare levels for each analyte. Correlations between age and complement proteins were evaluated using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient.

Results

We found significantly higher levels of factor B and factor I in females compared with males with iAMD, whereas no differences were seen in complement levels in male and female controls. The ratios of Ba/factor B, C3a/C3, C4b/C4, and C5a/C5 were not different in males and females with iAMD.

Conclusions

We demonstrate disparities in a subset of systemic complement factors between females and males with iAMD, but apparent complement turnover as measured by ratios of activation fragments to intact molecules was not different between these groups. The results suggest that complement system levels, including complement regulator factor I, exhibits sex-related differences in patients with iAMD and highlights that stratification by sex might be helpful in the interpretation of clinical trials of anticomplement therapy.

COL10A1 is a novel factor in the development of choroidal neovascularization

With the dramatic rise in the aging population, researching age-related macular degeneration (AMD), especially the severe form neovascular AMD (nAMD), has become more important than ever. In this study, we found that collagen type X was increased in retina-choroid tissue of mice with laser-induced choroidal neovascularization (CNV) based on immunohistofluorescence. RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses were performed to compare the retina-choroid tissue complex of the CNV mouse model to normal controls. Collagen type X alpha 1 chain (Col10a1) was among the most significantly upregulated genes, and the results were validated with an animal model at the mRNA and protein levels by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blotting, respectively. COL10A1 was also upregulated in human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMECs), human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), RPE19 cells and RF/6A cells under hypoxic conditions. Next, in vitro and in vivo experiments were performed to study the effect of COL10A1 on neovascularization. siRNA knockdown of COL10A1 suppressed the proliferation and tube formation ability of HRMECs under hypoxic conditions. Snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAIL1) and angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2) were downregulated in COL10A1 knockdown HRMECs under hypoxic conditions and thus were potential downstream genes. Significant decreases in CNV leakage and CNV lesion area, as assessed by fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA) and immunofluorescence of choroidal flat mounts, respectively, were observed in a mouse model intravitreally injected with anti-collagen X monoclonal antibody (mAb) compared to the controls. In conclusion, COL10A1 promotes CNV formation and may represent a new candidate target for the treatment and diagnosis of nAMD and other neovascular diseases.

Non-invasive testing for early detection of neovascular macular degeneration in unaffected second eyes of older adults: EDNA diagnostic accuracy study

BACKGROUND

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of sight loss, and early detection and treatment is important. For patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in one eye, it is usual practice to monitor the unaffected eye. The test used to diagnose neovascular age-related macular degeneration, fundus fluorescein angiography, is an invasive test. Non-invasive tests are available, but their diagnostic accuracy is unclear.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective was to determine the diagnostic monitoring performance of tests for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the second eye of patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration. The secondary objectives were the cost-effectiveness of tests and to identify predictive factors of developing neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

DESIGN

This was a multicentre, prospective, cohort, comparative diagnostic accuracy study in a monitoring setting for up to 3 years. A Cox regression risk prediction model and a Markov microsimulation model comparing cost-effectiveness of the index tests over 25 years were used.

SETTING

This took place in hospital eye services.

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were adults (aged 50-95 years) with newly diagnosed (within the previous 6 weeks) neovascular age-related macular degeneration in one eye and an unaffected second (study) eye who were attending for treatment injections in the first eye and who had a study eye baseline visual acuity of ≥ 68 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters.

INTERVENTIONS

The index tests were Amsler chart (completed by participants), fundus clinical examination, optical coherence tomography, self-reported vision assessment (completed by participants) and visual acuity. The reference standard was fundus fluorescein angiography.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The main outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity; the performance of the risk predictor model; and costs and quality-adjusted life-years.

RESULTS

In total, 552 out of 578 patients who consented from 24 NHS hospitals (n = 16 ineligible; n = 10 withdrew consent) took part. The mean age of the patients was 77.4 years (standard deviation 7.7 years) and 57.2% were female. For the primary analysis, 464 patients underwent follow-up fundus fluorescein angiography and 120 developed neovascular age-related macular degeneration on fundus fluorescein angiography. The diagnostic accuracy [sensitivity (%) (95% confidence interval); specificity (%) (95% confidence interval)] was as follows: optical coherence tomography 91.7 (85.2 to 95.6); 87.8 (83.8 to 90.9)], fundus clinical examination [53.8 (44.8 to 62.5); 97.6 (95.3 to 98.9)], Amsler [33.7 (25.1 to 43.5); 81.4 (76.4 to 85.5)], visual acuity [30.0 (22.5 to 38.7); 66.3 (61.0 to 71.1)] and self-reported vision [4.2 (1.6 to 9.8); 97.0 (94.6 to 98.5)]. Optical coherence tomography had the highest sensitivity across all secondary analyses. The final prediction model for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the non-affected eye included smoking status, family history of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, the presence of nodular drusen with or without reticular pseudodrusen, and the presence of pigmentary abnormalities [c-statistic 0.66 (95% confidence interval 0.62 to 0.71)]. Optical coherence tomography monitoring generated the greatest quality-adjusted life-years gained per patient (optical coherence tomography, 5.830; fundus clinical examination, 5.787; Amsler chart, 5.736, self-reported vision, 5.630; and visual acuity, 5.600) for the lowest health-care and social care costs (optical coherence tomography, £19,406; fundus clinical examination, £19,649; Amsler chart, £19,751; self-reported vision, £20,198; and visual acuity, £20,444) over the lifetime of the simulated cohort. Optical coherence tomography dominated the other tests or had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio below the accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds (£20,000) across the scenarios explored.

LIMITATIONS

The diagnostic performance may be different in an unselected population without any history of neovascular age-related macular degeneration; the prediction model did not include genetic profile data, which might have improved the discriminatory performance.

CONCLUSIONS

Optical coherence tomography was the most accurate in diagnosing conversion to neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Economic modelling suggests that optical coherence tomography monitoring is cost-effective and leads to earlier diagnosis of and treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in the second eye of patients being treated for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in their first eye.

FUTURE WORK

Future works should investigate the role of home monitoring, improved risk prediction models and impact on long-term visual outcomes.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study was registered as ISRCTN48855678.

FUNDING

This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment programme and will be published in full in Health Technology Assessment; Vol. 26, No. 8. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Exploring Consensus on Preventive Measures and Identification of Patients at Risk of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Using the Delphi Process

Background: Early identification of AMD can lead to prompt and more effective treatment, better outcomes, and better final visual acuity; several risk scores have been devised to determine the individual level of risk for developing AMD. Herein, the Delphi method was used to provide recommendations for daily practice regarding preventive measures and follow-up required for subjects at low, moderate, and high risk of AMD evaluated with the Simplified Test AMD Risk-assessment Scale (STARS^®) questionnaire. Methods: A steering committee of three experts drafted and refined 25 statements on the approach to be recommended in different clinical situations [general recommendations (n = 2), use of evaluation tools (n = 4), general lifestyle advice (n = 3), and AREDS-based nutritional supplementation (n = 5)] with the help of a group of international experts, all co-authors of this paper. Thirty retinal specialists from Europe and the US were chosen based on relevant publications, clinical expertise, and experience in AMD, who then provided their level of agreement with the statements. Statements for which consensus was not reached were modified and voted upon again. Results: In the first round of voting, consensus was reached for 24 statements. After modification, consensus was then reached for the remaining statement. Conclusion: An interprofessional guideline to support preventive measures in patients at risk of AMD based on STARS^® scoring has been developed to aid clinicians in daily practice, which will help to optimize preventive care of patients at risk of AMD.

LamNet: A Lesion Attention Maps-Guided Network for the Prediction of Choroidal Neovascularization Volume in SD-OCT Images

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) volume prediction has an important clinical significance to predict the therapeutic effect and schedule the follow-up. In this paper, we propose a Lesion Attention Maps-Guided Network (LamNet) to automatically predict the CNV volume of next follow-up visit after therapy based on 3-dimentional spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) images. In particular, the backbone of LamNet is a 3D convolutional neural network (3D-CNN). In order to guide the network to focus on the local CNV lesion regions, we use CNV attention maps generated by an attention map generator to produce the multi-scale local context features. Then, the multi-scale of both local and global feature maps are fused to achieve the high-precision CNV volume prediction. In addition, we also design a synergistic multi-task predictor, in which a trend-consistent loss ensures that the change trend of the predicted CNV volume is consistent with the real change trend of the CNV volume. The experiments include a total of 541 SD-OCT cubes from 68 patients with two types of CNV captured by two different SD-OCT devices. The results demonstrate that LamNet can provide the reliable and accurate CNV volume prediction, which would further assist the clinical diagnosis and design the treatment options.

The rare C9 P167S risk variant for age-related macular degeneration increases polymerization of the terminal component of the complement cascade

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex neurodegenerative eye disease with behavioral and genetic etiology and is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among elderly Caucasians. Functionally significant genetic variants in the alternative pathway of complement have been strongly linked to disease. More recently, a rare variant in the terminal pathway of complement has been associated with increased risk, Complement component 9 (C9) P167S. To assess the functional consequence of this variant, C9 levels were measured in two independent cohorts of AMD patients. In both cohorts, it was demonstrated that the P167S variant was associated with low C9 plasma levels. Further analysis showed that patients with advanced AMD had elevated sC5b-9 compared to those with non-advanced AMD, although this was not associated with the P167S polymorphism. Electron microscopy of membrane attack complexes (MACs) generated using recombinantly produced wild type or P167S C9 demonstrated identical MAC ring structures. In functional assays, the P167S variant displayed a higher propensity to polymerize and a small increase in its ability to induce hemolysis of sheep erythrocytes when added to C9-depleted serum. The demonstration that this C9 P167S AMD risk polymorphism displays increased polymerization and functional activity provides a rationale for the gene therapy trials of sCD59 to inhibit the terminal pathway of complement in AMD that are underway.

Risk Stratification and Clinical Utility of Polygenic Risk Scores in Ophthalmology

Translational Relevance

Common genetic variants can be used to effectively stratify the risk of disease development and progression and may be used to guide screening, triaging, monitoring, or treatment thresholds.

Association of Systemic Inflammatory Factors with Progression to Advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration

Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. The role of systemic inflammation in AMD remains unclear specifically in patients with intermediate AMD (iAMD). We sought to determine whether systemic inflammation was associated with future iAMD progression.Methods Combinations of 27 circulating inflammatory markers including complement factors, cytokines, chemokines, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were evaluated in iAMD patients recruited into a Colorado AMD registry. Systemic inflammatory markers were combined using principal component analysis. Risk factors for AMD progression were evaluated using Cox regression models.Results This study included 99 subjects with iAMD, 21 of which progressed to advanced AMD. Two principal components (PCs) were identified that contributed to the risk of progression to advanced AMD, after adjusting for age and bilateral reticular pseudodrusen. The strongest associated PC was explained largely by the pro-inflammatory cytokine TNFα and the anti-inflammatory IL1ra antagonist of IL1. The additional PC was largely explained by IL6, IL8, C3 and factor D in the positive direction and CRP, MCP1, factor B and factor I in the negative direction.Conclusion When evaluated through multivariate analyses, combinations of biomarkers distinguished patients who did and did not progress to future advanced AMD. Increased risk could result from different combinations of analyte levels indicating a complex relationship rather than a simple increase in a few markers. This suggests that studying systemic inflammation in iAMD can provide insights into early pathologic events and potentially identify patients at highest risk for the development of severe AMD.

Characterization of Drusen and Hyperreflective Foci as Biomarkers for Disease Progression in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Using Artificial Intelligence in Optical Coherence Tomography

Importance

The morphologic changes and their pathognomonic distribution in progressing age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are not well understood.

Objectives

To characterize the pathognomonic distribution and time course of morphologic patterns in AMD and to quantify changes distinctive for progression to macular neovascularization (MNV) and macular atrophy (MA).

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cohort study included optical coherence tomography (OCT) volumes from study participants with early or intermediate AMD in the fellow eye in the HARBOR (A Study of Ranibizumab Administered Monthly or on an As-needed Basis in Patients With Subfoveal Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration) trial. Patients underwent imaging monthly for 2 years (July 1, 2009, to August 31, 2012) following a standardized protocol. Data analysis was performed from June 1, 2018, to January 21, 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures

To obtain topographic correspondence between patients and over time, all scans were mapped into a joint reference frame. The time of progression to MNV and MA was established, and drusen volumes and hyperreflective foci (HRF) volumes were automatically segmented in 3 dimensions using validated artificial intelligence algorithms. Topographically resolved population means of these markers were constructed by averaging quantified drusen and HRF maps in the patient subgroups.

Results

Of 1097 patients enrolled in HARBOR, 518 (mean [SD] age, 78.1 [8.2] years; 309 [59.7%] female) had early or intermediate AMD in the fellow eye at baseline. During the 24-month follow-up period, 135 (26%) eyes developed MNV, 50 eyes (10%) developed MA, and 333 (64%) eyes did not progress to advanced AMD. Drusen and HRF had distinct topographic patterns. Mean drusen thickness at the fovea was 29.6 μm (95% CI, 20.2-39.0 μm) for eyes progressing to MNV, 17.2 μm (95% CI, 9.8-24.6 μm) for eyes progressing to MA, and 17.1 μm (95% CI, 12.5-21.7 μm) for eyes without disease progression. At 0.5-mm eccentricity, mean drusen thickness was 25.8 μm (95% CI, 19.1-32.5 μm) for eyes progressing to MNV, 21.7 μm (95% CI, 14.6-28.8 μm) for eyes progressing to MA, and 14.4 μm (95% CI, 11.2-17.6 μm) for eyes without disease progression. The mean HRF thickness at the foveal center was 0.072 μm (95% CI, 0-0.152 μm) for eyes progressing to MNV, 0.059 μm (95% CI, 0-0.126 μm) for eyes progressing to MA, and 0.044 μm (95% CI, 0.007-0.081) for eyes without disease progression. At 0.5-mm eccentricity, the largest mean HRF thickness was seen in eyes progressing to MA (0.227 μm; 95% CI, 0.104-0.349 μm) followed by eyes progressing to MNV (0.161 μm; 95% CI, 0.101-0.221 μm) and eyes without disease progression (0.085 μm; 95% CI, 0.058-0.112 μm).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, drusen and HRF represented imaging biomarkers of disease progression in AMD, demonstrating distinct topographic patterns over time that differed between eyes progressing to MNV, eyes progressing to MA, or eyes without disease progression. Automated localization and precise quantification of these factors may help to develop reliable methods of predicting future disease progression.

Genetics and Age-Related Eye Disease Study Formulation Interaction in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose:

This work aims to determine whether previously defined genotype risk groups interact with Age-Related Eye Disease Study formulation (AREDS-F) use in progression to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD).

Methods:

We conducted a case-only study of 265 nvAMD patients. Patients were anonymously genotyped at the complement factor H and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 loci and segregated into genotype groups (GTGs) defined by specific combinations of risk alleles. Physicians, who were blind to patients’ GTGs, obtained patients’ AREDS-F use history. The facility performing genetic analysis was blind to the AREDS-F use history. We used logistic analysis to estimate the interaction coefficient between AREDS-F use and GTG 2 vs GTG 3 in a general-population model.

Results:

The odds ratio of numbers of patients reporting prior AREDS-F use to nonuse for GTG 2 vs GTG 3 was 4.18 ( P = .001). Logistic regression, correcting for nongenetic risk factors, gave an estimate of the β for interaction of AREDS-F with genotype of 1.57 ( P = .001). This estimates a corrected odds ratio associated with the effect of interaction of 4.81 between those in GTG 2 compared with those in GTG 3.

Conclusions:

Our data indicate an interaction between GTGs and AREDS-F use that is consistent in size and direction with previously published reports, which had found that using AREDS-F supplements significantly increases the risk of nvAMD for some users and significantly protects other users.

Eye Diseases Direct Interest to Complement Pathway and Macrophages as Regulators of Inflammation in COVID-19

ABSTRACT

Many of the risk factors for developing severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are also risk factors for eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). During the past decades, macrophages and the complement pathway (as a part of the innate immune system) have been identified as important contributors to the development of AMD, and we suggest that these mechanisms are of similar importance for the clinical course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Based on the experience with AMD, we discuss how behavioral factors such as diet, smoking and higher body mass index, as well as genetic determinants such as the complement and immune pathway genes may lead to the overactive inflammatory phenotypes seen in some patients with COVID-19, and may in part explain the heterogeneity of disease manifestations and outcomes. Based on this experience, we discuss potential genetic research projects and elaborate on preventive and treatment approaches related to COVID-19.

Rare and Common Genetic Variants, Smoking, and Body Mass Index: Progression and Earlier Age of Developing Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose

To determine behavioral and genetic factors associated with incidence and age of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy (GA), and neovascular disease (NV), and to quantify these effects.

Methods

Longitudinal analyses were conducted among 5421 eyes with nonadvanced AMD at baseline in 2976 participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (mean age of 68.8 (±5.0), 56.1% female). Progression was confirmed based on two consecutive visits on the AMD severity scale. Separate analyses for progression and age of progression were performed. All analyses adjusted for correlation between eyes, demographic and behavioral covariates, baseline severity scale, and genetic variants.

Results

A higher genetic risk score (GRS) including eight genetic variants was associated with a higher rate of progression to advanced AMD within each baseline severity scale, especially for the highest risk intermediate level AMD category, and smoking further increased this risk. When assessing age when progression to advanced disease occurred, smoking reduced age of onset by 3.9 years (P < 0.001), and higher body mass index (BMI) led to earlier onset by 1.7 years (P = 0.003), with similar results for GA and NV. Genetic variants associated with earlier age of progression were CFH R1201C (4.3 years), C3 K155Q (2.15 years), and ARMS2/HTRA1 (0.8 years per allele).

Conclusions

Rare variants in the complement pathway and a common risk allele in ARMS2/HTRA1, smoking, and higher BMI can lead to as much as 11.5 additional years of disease and treatment burden. Closer adherence to healthy lifestyles could reduce years of visual impairment.

Autophagy Genes for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in a Finnish Case-Control Study

Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that is the main cause of legal blindness in the elderly in developed countries. Despite this, its pathogenesis is not completely known, and many genetic, epigenetic, environmental and lifestyle factors may be involved. Vision loss in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is usually consequence of the occurrence of its wet (neovascular) form that is targeted in the clinic by anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) treatment. The wet form of AMD is associated with the accumulation of cellular waste in the retinal pigment epithelium, which is removed by autophagy and the proteosomal degradation system. In the present work, we searched for the association between genotypes and alleles of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of autophagy-related genes and wet AMD occurrence in a cohort of Finnish patients undergoing anti-VEGF therapy and controls. Additionally, the correlation between treatment efficacy and genotypes was investigated. Overall, 225 wet AMD patients and 161 controls were enrolled in this study. Ten SNPs (rs2295080, rs11121704, rs1057079, rs1064261, rs573775, rs11246867, rs3088051, rs10902469, rs73105013, rs10277) in the mTOR (Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin), ATG5 (Autophagy Related 5), ULK1 (Unc-51-Like Autophagy Activating Kinase 1), MAP1LC3A (Microtubule Associated Protein 1 Light Chain 3 α), SQSTM1 (Sequestosome 1) were analyzed with RT-PCR-based genotyping. The genotype/alleles rs2295080-G, rs11121704-C, rs1057079-C and rs73105013-T associated with an increased, whereas rs2295080-TT, rs2295080-T, rs11121704-TT, rs1057079-TT, rs1057079-T, rs573775-AA and rs73105013-C with a decreased occurrence of wet AMD. In addition, the rs2295080-GG, rs2295080-GT, rs1057079-TT, rs11246867-AG, rs3088051-CC and rs10277-CC genotypes were a positively correlated cumulative number of anti-VEGF injections in 2 years. Therefore, variability in autophagy genes may have an impact on the risk of wet AMD occurrence and the efficacy of anti-VEGF treatment.

Plasma Biomarkers of Reticular Pseudodrusen and the Risk of Progression to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose

To determine, using an aptamer-based technology in patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD), (1) if there is a difference in plasma levels of 4979 proteins in patients with and without reticular pseudodrusen (RPD), and (2) if plasma levels of proteins are related to time to conversion to advanced AMD.

Methods

Patients with intermediate AMD and RPD were identified from an AMD registry. Relative concentrations of each protein were log (base 2) transformed and compared between patients with and without RPD using linear regression. A Cox proportional hazards survival model was fit to each aptamer to quantify associations with time to conversion. A pathway analysis was conducted in converters versus non-converters using the Reactome database.

Results

Of the 109 intermediate AMD patients, 39 had bilateral RPD (36%). Two proteins, TCL1A and CNDP1, were lower in patients in the intermediate AMD group with RPD. Twenty-one patients converted to advanced AMD with a median time to conversion of 25.2 months (range, 2.3-48.5 months) and median follow-up time in non-converters of 26.4 months (range, 0.03-49.7 months). Several proteins (lysozyme C, TFF3, RNAS6, and SAP3) distinguished patients who converted from those who did not convert to advanced AMD. The top conversion pathways included tumor necrosis factors bind their physiological receptors, digestion and absorption, signaling by activin, and signaling by TGF-β family members.

Conclusions

We identified a protein signature related to RPD, as well as to conversion to advanced AMD. The pathway analysis suggests that dysfunction of critical systemic pathways may have links to conversion to advanced AMD.

Translational Relevance

Biomarkers identified in plasma likely reflect systemic alterations in protein expression in patients with intermediate AMD.

Predicting Progression to Advanced Age-Related Macular Degeneration from Clinical, Genetic, and Lifestyle Factors Using Machine Learning

PURPOSE

Current prediction models for advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) are based on a restrictive set of risk factors. The objective of this study was to develop a comprehensive prediction model applying a machine learning algorithm allowing selection of the most predictive risk factors automatically.

DESIGN

Two population-based cohort studies.

PARTICIPANTS

The Rotterdam Study I (RS-I; training set) included 3838 participants 55 years of age or older, with a median follow-up period of 10.8 years, and 108 incident cases of advanced AMD. The Antioxydants, Lipids Essentiels, Nutrition et Maladies Oculaires (ALIENOR) study (test set) included 362 participants 73 years of age or older, with a median follow-up period of 6.5 years, and 33 incident cases of advanced AMD.

METHODS

The prediction model used the bootstrap least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method for survival analysis to select the best predictors of incident advanced AMD in the training set. Predictive performance of the model was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Incident advanced AMD (atrophic, neovascular, or both), based on standardized interpretation of retinal photographs.

RESULTS

The prediction model retained (1) age, (2) a combination of phenotypic predictors (based on the presence of intermediate drusen, hyperpigmentation in one or both eyes, and Age-Related Eye Disease Study simplified score), (3) a summary genetic risk score based on 49 single nucleotide polymorphisms, (4) smoking, (5) diet quality, (6) education, and (7) pulse pressure. The cross-validated AUC estimation in RS-I was 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88-0.97) at 5 years, 0.92 (95% CI, 0.90-0.95) at 10 years, and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.88-0.94) at 15 years. In ALIENOR, the AUC reached 0.92 at 5 years (95% CI, 0.87-0.98). In terms of calibration, the model tended to underestimate the cumulative incidence of advanced AMD for the high-risk groups, especially in ALIENOR.

CONCLUSIONS

This prediction model reached high discrimination abilities, paving the way toward making precision medicine for AMD patients a reality in the near future.

Dietary Nutrient Intake and Progression to Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 and 2

PURPOSE

To analyze associations between the dietary intake of multiple nutrients and risk of progression to late age-related macular degeneration (AMD), its subtypes, and large drusen.

DESIGN

Post hoc analysis of 2 controlled clinical trial cohorts: Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2.

PARTICIPANTS

Eyes with no late AMD at baseline among AREDS participants (n = 4504) and AREDS2 participants (n = 3738) totaled 14 135 eyes. Mean age was 71.0 years (standard deviation, 6.7 years), and 56.5% of patients were women.

METHODS

Fundus photographs were collected at annual study visits and graded centrally for late AMD. Dietary intake of multiple nutrients was calculated from food frequency questionnaires.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Progression to late AMD, geographic atrophy (GA), neovascular AMD, and (separate analyses) large drusen.

RESULTS

Over median follow-up of 10.2 years, of the 14 135 eyes, 32.7% progressed to late AMD. For 9 nutrients, intake quintiles 4 or 5 (vs. 1) were associated significantly (P ≤ 0.0005) with decreased risk of late AMD: vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, and alcohol. For 3 nutrients, quintiles 4 or 5 were associated significantly with increased risk: saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and oleic acid. Similar results were observed for GA. Regarding neovascular AMD, 9 nutrients were associated nominally with decreased risk-vitamin A, vitamin B6, β-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, magnesium, copper, docosahexaenoic acid, omega-3 fatty acid, and alcohol-and 3 nutrients were associated with increased risk-saturated fatty acid, monounsaturated fatty acid, and oleic acid. In separate analyses (n = 5399 eyes of 3164 AREDS participants), 12 nutrients were associated nominally with decreased risk of large drusen.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher dietary intake of multiple nutrients, including minerals, vitamins, and carotenoids, is associated with decreased risk of progression to late AMD. These associations are stronger for GA than for neovascular AMD. The same nutrients also tend to show protective associations against large drusen development. Strong genetic interactions exist for some nutrient-genotype combinations, particularly omega-3 fatty acids and CFH. These data may justify further research into underlying mechanisms and randomized trials of supplementation.

Can Vitreous Reflux Affect The Short-Term Treatment Response After Intravitreal Ranibizumab Injection?

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitreous reflux (VR) on the short-term effect of intravitreal ranibizumab injection.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study included 181 eyes of 81 age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 100 diabetic macular edema (DME) patients. Treatment response was evaluated by measuring central macular thickness (CMT) as well as 1 mm and 3 mm central macular thicknesses (MT1 and MT3). Patients were grouped as; Group 1: no VR, Group 2: <3 mm VR, and Group 3: >3 mm VR according to conjunctival bleb diameters. The data were analyzed using variance, correlation and regression analyses.

RESULTS

In AMD patients, reduction of CMT values following the treatment were 88.3 ± 110.6 µm in Group 1, 85.6 ± 158.7 µm in Group 2, and 93.1 ± 92.2 µm in Group 3. Likewise, in DME patients, it was 82.4 ± 88.4 µm, 72.9 ± 109.9 µm, and 73.7 ± 113.7 µm, respectively. Reduction of MT1 values after the treatment were 47.4 ± 72.6 µm, 36.0 ± 131.9 µm, and 36.7 ± 114.4 µm in AMD patients, and 33.3 ± 72.5 µm, 36.6 ± 90.2 µm, and 46.9 ± 83.4 µm in DME patients. In all comparisons among groups of VR, macular thickness (MT) change did not exhibit significant difference following an intravitreal ranibizumab treatment (p > .05).

CONCLUSION

We found that the increase in VR amount did not adversely affect the decrease in MT after intravitreal ranibizumab treatment in AMD and DME patients.

Genetic Susceptibility, Diet Quality, and Two-Step Progression in Drusen Size

Purpose

To investigate the relationship of growth in drusen size with genetic susceptibility and adherence to the alternate Mediterranean diet.

Methods

Participants in this analysis had complete ocular, genetic, and dietary data with mean follow-up time of 10.2 years in the Age-Related Eye Disease database. Maximal drusen size was graded on an ordinal scale and two-step progression was determined. A genetic risk score using variants associated with advanced AMD and derived from a stepwise regression model yielded 11 variants in 8 genes. Adherence to the alternate Mediterranean diet was assessed using a nine-component score based on intake of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole cereals, fish, meat, nuts, alcohol, and monounsaturated-to-saturated fatty acids ratio. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used.

Results

Among 3023 eligible eyes, 19% had drusen growth. In the stepwise selection, common and rare risk alleles for CFH Y402H, CFH rs1410996, CFH R1210C, C3 R102G, C3 K155Q, and ARMS2/HTRA1, as well as VEGF-A, TIMP3, NPLOC4, and HSPH1 variants were significantly associated with 2-step progression in drusen size, and the C2 E318D protective allele conferred decreased risk, adjusting for other covariates. A higher genetic risk score conferred a higher risk (hazard ratio per 1-unit increase, 2.68; 95% confidence interval, 2.23-3.23; P < 0.001), and a medium/high adherence to alternate Mediterranean diet score (4-9) tended to lower risk (hazard ratio, 0.83; 95% confidence interval, 0.68-0.99; P = 0.049), adjusting for all covariates.

Conclusions

Genetic susceptibility was independently related to drusen growth. A Mediterranean-style diet with healthful nutrient-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes and fish), may reduce enlargement of drusen, the hallmark of AMD.

Clinical Role of Epigenetics and Network Analysis in Eye Diseases: A Translational Science Review

Network medicine is a molecular-bioinformatic approach analyzing gene-gene interactions that can perturb the human interactome. This review focuses on epigenetic changes involved in several ocular diseases, such as DNA methylation, histone and nonhistone post-translational modifications, and noncoding RNA regulators. Although changes in aberrant DNA methylation play a major role in the pathogenesis of most ocular diseases, histone modifications are seldom investigated. Hypermethylation in TGM-2 and hypomethylation in MMP-2/CD24 promoter genes may play a crucial role in pterygium development; hypermethylation in regulatory regions of GSTP1 and OGG1 genes appear to be diagnostic biomarkers of cataract; hypomethylation of TGF-β1 promoter may trigger glaucoma onset; hypermethylation of the LOXL1 gene might be associated with pseudoexfoliation syndrome. A large panel of upregulated micro-RNAs (miRNAs), including hsa-hsa-miR-494, hsa-let-7e, hsa-miR-513-1, hsa-miR-513-2, hsa-miR-518c, hsa-miR-129-1, hsa-miR-129-2, hsa-miR-198, hsa-miR-492, hsa-miR-498, hsa-miR-320, hsa-miR-503, and hsa-miR-373, ^∗ may have a putative role in the development of retinoblastoma. Hypermethylation of H3K4 and hypomethylation of H3K27 at the TGFBIp locus are putative pathogenic mechanisms involved in corneal dystrophies. Determining how, where, and when specific epigenetic changes trigger ocular diseases may provide useful clinical biomarkers for their prevention, diagnosis, and management, as well as innovative drug targets. PF-04523655, a 19-nucleotide methylated double-stranded siRNA targeting the RTP80 gene, showed a dose-related improvement in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in patients affected by diabetic macular edema. The observed results support a clinical network-based research program aimed to clarify the role of epigenetic regulators in the development of ocular diseases and personalized therapy.

Association Between Perifoveal Drusen Burden Determined by OCT and Genetic Risk in Early and Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to determine associations between macular drusen parameters derived from an automatic optical coherence tomography (OCT) algorithm, nonadvanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) stage, and genetic variants.

Methods

Eyes classified as early or intermediate AMD with OCT imaging and genetic data were selected (n = 239 eyes). Drusen area and volume measurements were estimated using the Zeiss Cirrus advanced retinal pigment epithelium analysis algorithm in a perifoveal zone centered on the fovea. Associations between drusen measurements and common genetic variants in the complement and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) lipid pathways and the ARMS2/HTRA1 variant were calculated using generalized estimating equations and linear mixed models adjusting for age, sex, smoking, body mass index, and education.

Results

Drusen area ≥ the median was independently associated with a higher number of risk alleles for CFH risk score and risk variants in C3 and ARMS2/HTRA1 compared with eyes with no measurable drusen. Similar results were obtained for drusen volume. When all genes were analyzed in the same model, only CFH score and ARMS2/HTRA1 were associated with drusen measurements. HDL pathway genes were not significantly related to drusen parameters. Nonadvanced AMD stages were associated with OCT-derived drusen area and volume.

Conclusions

Variants in CFH and ARMS2/HTRA1, commonly associated with advanced AMD, were independently associated with an increase in drusen burden determined by OCT in an allele dose dependent manner, in eyes with early and intermediate AMD. Biomarkers such as a quantitative classification of nonadvanced AMD and other OCT-derived subphenotypes could provide earlier anatomic endpoints for clinical trials and facilitate the development of new therapies for AMD.

The Interplay between miRNA-Related Variants and Age-Related Macular Degeneration: EVIDENCE of Association of MIR146A and MIR27A

The complex interplay among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental variables is the basis for the multifactorial origin of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Previous results highlighted that single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CFH, ARMS2, IL-8, TIMP3, SLC16A8, RAD51B, VEGFA, and COL8A1 were significantly associated with the risk of AMD in the Italian population. Given these data, this study aimed to investigate the impact of SNPs in genes coding for MIR146A, MIR31, MIR23A, MIR27A, MIR20A, and MIR150 on their susceptibility to AMD. Nine-hundred and seventy-six patients with exudative AMD and 1000 controls were subjected to an epigenotyping analysis through real-time PCR and direct sequencing. Biostatistical and bioinformatic analysis was performed to evaluate the association with susceptibility to AMD. These analyses reported that the SNPs rs11671784 (MIR27A, G/A) and rs2910164 (MIR146A, C/G) were significantly associated with AMD risk. Interestingly, the bioinformatic analysis showed that MIR27A and MIR146A take part in the angiogenic and inflammatory pathways underlying AMD etiopathogenesis. Thus, polymorphisms within the pre-miRNA sequences are likely to affect their functional activity, especially the interaction with specific targets. Therefore, our study represents a step forward in the comprehension of the mechanisms leading to AMD onset and progression, which certainly include the involvement of epigenetic modifications.