Incidence and Progression Rates of Age-Related Maculopathy: The Rotterdam Study

RESULTS. The overall 2-year cumulative incidence of AMD was 0.2%, increasing to 1.8% in subjects of 85 years and older. Of those in the early stages, one fourth showed progression to a more severe stage. The most important predictors for progression were more than 10% of macular area covered by drusen (odds ratio [OR] 5.7, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9 ‐11.3), presence of depigmentation (OR 4.0, 95% CI 2.5‐ 6.4), and hyperpigmentation (OR 3.4, 95% CI 2.1‐5.4). CONCLUSIONS. The incidence of AMD appears to be lower in The Netherlands than in the United States. Progression of early ARM stages occurs in a distinct pattern at a stable rate, with a large area of drusen and presence of pigmentary changes as the most important predictors. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001; 42:2237‐2241)