Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of irreversible loss of vision in the elderly people (≥55 years) in developed countries. According to WHO 10% of blindness is due AMD.1 About 50 million ederly are affected by AMD worldwide.2 AMD is broadly divided into non-exudative (dry) and exudative (wet) form. Dry AMD is most prevalent form of AMD. Its etio-pathogenesis is still poorly defined. AMD is multifactorial disease, major risk factors are ageing, smoking, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia atherosclerosis and antioxidant status.3, 4, 5 Oxidative stress plays important role in pathogenesis of AMD.6, 7 It has been reported that exudative AMD is more common in elderly women than man, possibly due to estrogen withdrawal effect at menopause which possess anti-oxidative property.8, 9 Increased risk of AMD has been reported in women having early surgical menopause (oophorectomy).10 Snow et al. suggested that exposure to exogenous estrogens as postmenopausal hormone terapy (HRT) may reduce the risk of development of advanced AMD.11 Feskanich et al. found that use of oral contraceptives associated with lower risk of developing wet AMD.12 Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) has shown protective effects against oxidative damage of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE).13 Relatively low level of Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) have been measured in patients suffering from AMD suggesting hormonal imbalance in AMD patients.
Journal Information
Journal ID (nlm-ta): Innovative Publication
Journal ID (publisher-id): Innovative Publication
Journal ID (journal_submission_guidelines): https://www.innovativepublication.com/journal/IJCEO
Title: Indian Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
ISSN: 2395-1451
