Oxidative Stress in Patients With Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Inclusion Criteria:

For patients with dry non- exudative AMD:

• Patients between the ages of 50 and 85 yr inclusive.
• Study eye must have a diagnosis of nonexudative "dry" AMD with ≥10 large soft, semisoft, and/or confluent drusen within 3,000 nm of the foveal center.
• Study eye must have a best corrected visual acuity using the ETDRS chart between 0.1 patem and 0.8 patem inclusive.
• Geographic atrophy is allowed as long as it is less than 3 disc diameters within 3,000 nm of the foveal center.
• Study eye must not have conditions that limit the view of the fundus.

For patients with exudative AMD with clinical indication for PDT treatment:

• Patients between the ages of 50 and 85 yrs with exudative AMD with clinical indication for PDT treatment.
• Primary or recurrent subfoveal CNV due to AMD
• Central 1-mm retinal thickness (optical coherence tomography) > 300 um
• Best-corrected visual acuity, using ETDRS charts, of > 0.05patem
• Evidence of recent disease progression, including the loss of at least 1 line of visual acuity or macular hemorrhage within the previous 12 wks.

For healthy subjects:

• An intraocular pressure < 20 mmHg
• Normal blood pressure (100-140/60-90mm Hg)
• Best corrected visual acuity, using EDTRS charts of above 0.6 patem in both eyes
• No pathological findings upon slit-lamp examination and indirect fundoscopy

Exclusion Criteria:

• History of other ocular or systemic disease
• History of chronic or current systemic or topical medication, or of significant drug or alcohol abuse(significant is defined as that which may influence results of the study
• History of ocular trauma or intraocular surgery within the past 6 months
• History of infection or inflammation within the past 3 months