Pterygium/pinguecula and the five-year incidence of age-related maculopathy

Purpoe To ae the relationhip between baeline pterygium and pinguecula and the five-year incidence of age-related maculopathy (ARM). Deign Population-baed longitudinal tudy. Method The Blue Mountain Eye tudy examined 3654 reident aged 49+ year during 1992 to 1994 and then re-examined 2335 (75.1% of urvivor) after five year. Retinal photograph were graded uing the Wiconin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading ytem. lit-lamp examination recorded pterygium and pinguecula. Eye-pecific data were analyzed uing generalized etimating equation model. Reult After adjuting for age, gender, and moking, eye with pterygium or previou pterygium urgery had a higher rik of incident late ARM, odd ratio (OR) 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 10.3, early ARM (OR 1.8, CI 1.1 to 2.9) and oft druen (OR 2.0, CI 1.9 to 3.4), than eye without pterygium. We found no aociation between pinguecula and incident ARM. Concluion Thi tudy found that pterygium wa aociated with a two- to threefold increaed rik of incident late and early ARM