Clinical characteristics and progression rates of geographic atrophy in an Asian population from Singapore.

PURPOSE: To characterise geographic atrophy (GA) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and its progression rates in an Asian cohort.

METHODS

Retrospective study of 170 eyes characterising GA lesions using near infrared (NIR) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

RESULTS

The majority of patients were Chinese (88.2%), followed by Malay (4.7%), Indian (3.5%) and Others (3.5%). Mean age at baseline was 78.4 (SD 8.2) years, with 42.9% males. Mean baseline GA area was 4.25mm2 (SD 4.25), best-corrected visual acuity 0.71logMAR units (SD 0.52) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) 168.3  μm (SD 77.4). Multifocal GA was present in 97 (57.1%) of eyes, foveal involvement in 114 (67%) and bilateral in 42 (24.7%). Macular neovascularisation was present in the fellow eye of 48 (28.2%) patients. Mean follow-up was 4.12 (SD 2.95) years, with a mean GA progression rate of 0.98 (SD 1.26)mm2/yr (SQRT 0.22 mm/yr SQRT, SD 0.21). Bilateral disease (p = 0.005), reticular pseudodrusen (p = 0.02), larger baseline GA area (p < 0.001) and multifocal disease (p = 0.01) were independently associated with greater odds of rapid GA progression.

CONCLUSION

We evaluated AMD-associated GA in Asian patients, predominantly of Chinese descent, using NIR and SD-OCT. These findings are valuable to identify high-risk patients and guide future GA therapies in Asian populations.