Limited associations found between sun exposure and ARM in large study

Extended exposure to sunlight in the summer was significantly associated with the 10-year incidence of early age-related maculopathy and increased retinal pigment in a large cohort study.

Sandra Tomany, MS, and colleagues at the University of Wisconsin Medical School studied data from the Beaver Dam Eye Study, a large population-based study. Of participants aged 43 to 86 at baseline, 3,684 have had 5-year follow-up and 2,764 have had 10-year follow-up.

Participants who were exposed to the summer sun for more than 5 hours a day while in their teen years and through their 30s were at a higher risk for developing increased retinal pigment and early age-related maculopathy than those exposed to the sun for fewer than 2 hours a day during the same time period, the study found.

In participants with the highest levels of sun exposure, the risk of developing soft indistinct drusen and retinal pigment epithelial depigmentation was decreased if they wore sunglasses or hats at least half the time. People who were sunburned more than 10 times in their youth were more likely than those who were burned once or twice to develop drusen.

No relationships were found between winter outdoor activity, skin sun sensitivity or ultraviolet-B exposure and the incidence and progression of age-related maculopathy or its lesions.

The study is published in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.