Age-related macular degeneration in ethnically diverse Australia: Melbourne collaborative cohort study

AbstractPurpose: To determine and compare the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in older Australians of Anglo-Celtic and Southern European origin.Methods: A total of 21,132 participants of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, aged 47–86 years, were assessed for AMD in 2003–2007 with non-mydriatic fundus photography. Of these, 14% were born in Southern Europe (Greece, Italy or Malta), with the remaining 86% of Anglo-Celtic origin, born in Australia, the United Kingdom or New Zealand.Results: Overall, 2694 participants (12.7%) had early stages of AMD, defined as either one or more drusen ≥125 μm (with or without pigmentary abnormalities) or one or more drusen 63–124 μm with pigmentary abnormalities in a 6000-μm diameter grading grid, in the absence of late AMD in either eye. A total of 122 participants (0.6%) had late AMD, defined as either geographic atrophy or neovascular AMD. In logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, sex, smoking, education and physical activity, Southern...