PHP detects conversion from dry AMD to wet

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The use of preferential hyperacuity perimetry can detect the conversion of the dry version of age-related macular degeneration to the more destructive exudative form of the disease, according to results from a study presented here.

"In some cases, the patient hasn't even realized any [visual] changes yet," Yuhua Lai, research coordinator, said during a poster session at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.

The preferential hyperacuity perimetry exam helps practitioners identify elevations in a patient's retinal pigment epithelium and the bowing of the photoreceptor layer by having patients identify bends they see in line targets on a computer screen.

The analysis was conducted within the multicenter Cost of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (CARMA) trial in which 135 patients with late AMD in one eye and 65 patients with intermediate AMD in both eyes were enrolled between June 2004 and March 2007.

Before October 2007, nine of the patients progressed to wet AMD and eight of those patients showed abnormalities during the Foresee PHP (Notal Vision/MSS) test, Ms. Lai said. Optical coherence tomography helped confirm the diagnosis.

A version that patients can use at home is currently in clinical trials, she said.