Fellow Eyes Conversion Rates in Patients With Unilateral Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Academy IRIS ® Registry Analysis

Abstract

Background and Objective: This study aimed to examine conversion rates from non-exudative to exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral exudative AMD using the Academy IRIS ® Registry. Patients and Methods: This study was a retrospective, cohort analysis from 2016 to 2019. Patient and disease characteristics including initial AMD stage were collected. Cox proportional-hazard (PH) and logistic regression modeling were performed. Results: The risk of conversion was lower for men relative to women and for Asians and Blacks relative to Whites. Compared to never-smokers, active smokers were at increased risk of conversion, and compared to initially early non-exudative AMD eyes, intermediate and advanced non-exudative AMD eyes had higher rates of conversion. Compared to active choroidal neovascularization eyes, eyes with inactive choroidal neovascularization and inactive scars had lower rates of fellow eye conversion. Conclusions: In this cohort analysis of unilateral exudative AMD patients, women, Whites, and active smokers had higher rates of non-exudative to exudative AMD conversion in the fellow eye. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2024;55:220–226.]