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Light iris color, Anglo-Saxon origin linked to quicker AMD progression

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Patients with lighter colored irides showed a trend to have faster progression of age-related macular degeneration, according to a study.

Caroline M. Nicolas and colleagues in Australia recruited participants with early AMD from either the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project or the Vitamin E, Cataract and Age-Related Macular Degeneration study. The former is a population-based study latter study and the latter a prospective randomized trial. From those cohorts, 171 participants between the ages of 52 and 93, identified with early AMD, were followed for a mean of 6.8 years.

A total of 53 (31%) participants showed signs of AMD progression. Participants with light iris color had a twofold risk of AMD progression compared to participants with intermediate or dark irides. A noticeable but nonsignificant association with AMD progression was noted in participants described as of Anglo-Saxon descent compared to those of non-Anglo-Saxon descent.

The authors note that a larger sample size would be required for these findings to reach statistical significance. The study is published in Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.