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Purpose: To study the associations of subfoveal choroidal thickness with vascular risk factors and age-related macular degeneration., Methods: Two hundred sixty-one participants of the Alienor study had gradable enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography scans of the macula and available data on vascular and genetic risk factors (assessed through face-to-face interview and fasting blood samples) and age-related macular degeneration status (assessed from retinal photographs and optical coherence tomography). Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured manually on one horizontal scan passing through the fovea., Results: In a multivariate mixed linear model, subfoveal choroidal thickness was independently associated with age greater than 80 years (-21.77 μm, P = 0.02), axial length (-21.77 μm, P < 0.0001), heavy smoking (≥20 pack-years: -24.89 μm, P = 0.05), fasting blood glucose higher than 7 mmol/L (-53.17 μm, P = 0.02), and lipid-lowering treatment (+18.23, P = 0.047). After multivariate adjustment for age, sex, axial length, and vascular and genetic risk factors, subfoveal choroidal thickness was thinner in eyes with central hyperpigmentation (-45.39 μm, P = 0.006), central hypopigmentation (-44.99 μm, P = 0.001), and central pigmentary abnormalities (-44.50 μm, P = 0.001), but not in eyes with late age-related macular degeneration (-18.05 μm, P = 0.33) or soft drusen., Conclusion: These findings indicate a relationship between vascular risk factors and choroidal thinning and suggest an early involvement of the choroid in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration.

Background: Olive oil provides a mixture of lipids and antioxidant nutrients which may help preventing age-related diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, little is known about the associations between olive oil consumption and the risk of AMD., Objective: To examine associations between olive oil use and AMD prevalence in elderly subjects., Methods: Alienor (Antioxydants, Lipides Essentiels, Nutrition et maladies OculaiRes) is a population-based study on eye diseases performed in elderly residents of Bordeaux (France). In 1999-2000, frequencies of consumption of main categories of dietary fats used were collected. In 2006-2088, AMD was graded from non mydriatic retinal photographs into three exclusive stages: no AMD, early AMD, and late AMD. Two categories of preferred dietary fat used (olive oil, n-3 rich oils, n-6 rich oils, mixed oils, butter and margarine) were defined: "no use" and "regular use" (using fat for spreading and/or cooking and/or dressing). Associations of AMD with each fat use were estimated using Generalized Estimating Equation logistic regressions models., Results: Our study included 654 subjects (1269 eyes) with complete data (n = 268 eyes with early AMD and n = 56 with late AMD). After adjustment for potential confounders, regular use of olive oil was significantly associated with a decreased risk of late AMD (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.21;0.91). In contrast, regular use of olive oil was not significantly associated with early AMD (OR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.59;1.21). No associations were found between regular consumption of n-3 rich oils, n-6 rich oils, mixed oils, butter and margarine and AMD, whatever the stage., Conclusions: This study suggests a protective effect of olive oil consumption for late AMD in this elderly community-dwelling population. Characterization of the mediating nutrients deserves further research.

Background: Elderly persons are at elevated risk of vitamin D deficiency, which is involved in various health problems. However, its relation with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is debated., Objectives: We investigated factors associated with plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] deficiency and the associations between plasma 25(OH)D concentrations and AMD in elderly subjects., Methods: Antioxydants, Lipides Essentiels, Nutrition et maladies OculaiRes (ALIENOR) is a population-based study on eye diseases performed in elderly residents of Bordeaux, France. Plasma 25(OH)D concentrations were assessed from blood samples and categorized as <25 nmol/L (deficiency), 25-49 nmol/L (insufficiency), or ≥50 nmol/L (sufficiency). AMD was classified as: no AMD, early AMD, and late AMD. Associations between baseline characteristics and plasma 25(OH)D status were examined with multinomial logistic regression analysis. Associations between AMD and plasma 25(OH)D status were estimated using generalized estimating equation logistic regressions., Results: Six hundred ninety-seven subjects with complete data were included. The prevalence of plasma 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency were 27.3% and 55.9%, respectively. In multivariate analysis, 25(OH)D deficiency was significantly associated with older age (P = 0.0007), females (P = 0.0007), absence of physical activity (P = 0.01), absence of vitamin D supplementation (P < 0.0001), higher plasma total cholesterol (P = 0.007), use of fibrates (P < 0.0001), lower alcohol consumption (P = 0.02), and season of blood sampling (P < 0.0001). After adjustment for these covariates and dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake, smoking, and body mass index, no significant associations were found between early AMD and 25(OH)D insufficiency or deficiency (OR: 0.71, P = 0.12; OR: 0.73, P = 0.23, respectively) or with late AMD (OR: 1.04, P = 0.93; OR: 0.74, P = 0.59, respectively)., Conclusion: These findings underline the very high prevalence of plasma 25(OH)D deficiency in this elderly population but do not support a specific role for vitamin D in AMD., (© 2015 American Society for Nutrition.)

Purpose: While exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a recognized risk factor for cataract, its association is more controversial with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We report the associations of lifetime exposure to ambient UVR with cataract extraction and AMD., Methods: The Alienor Study is a population-based study of 963 residents of Bordeaux (France), aged 73 years or more. Lifetime exposure to ambient UVR was estimated from residential history and Eurosun satellite-based estimations of ground UVR. It was divided in three groups (lower quartile, intermediate quartiles, upper quartile), using the intermediate quartiles as the reference. Early and late AMD was classified from retinal color photographs. Cataract extraction was defined as absence of the natural lens at slit-lamp., Results: After multivariate adjustment, subjects in the upper quartile of lifetime ambient UVR exposure were at increased risk for cataract extraction (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04-2.26; P = 0.03) and for early AMD (OR = 1.59; 95% CI, 1.04-2.44; P = 0.03), by comparison with subjects in the intermediate quartiles. Subjects in the lower quartile of UVR exposure also were at increased risk for early AMD (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 1.06-2.69; P = 0.03), by comparison with those with medium exposure. Associations of late AMD with UVR exposure was not statistically significant., Conclusions: This study further confirms the increased risk for cataract extraction in subjects exposed to high ambient UVR. Moreover, it suggests that risk for early AMD is increased in subjects exposed to high UVR, but also to low UVR, by comparison with medium exposures., (Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.)

Background: Lipid metabolism and particularly high-density lipoprotein (HDL) may be involved in the pathogenic mechanism of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, conflicting results have been reported in the associations of AMD with plasma HDL and other lipids, which may be confounded by the recently reported associations of AMD with HDL-related genes. We explored the association of AMD with plasma lipid levels and lipid-lowering medication use, taking into account most of HDL-related genes associated with AMD., Methods: The Alienor study is a population-based study on age-related eye diseases performed in 963 elderly residents of Bordeaux (France). AMD was graded from non mydriatic color retinal photographs in three exclusive stages: no AMD (n = 430 subjects, 938 eyes); large soft distinct drusen and/or large soft indistinct drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or pigmentary abnormalities (early AMD, n = 176, 247); late AMD (n = 40, 61). Associations of AMD with plasma lipids (HDL, total cholesterol (TC), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and triglycerides (TG)) were estimated using Generalized Estimating Equation logistic regressions. Statistical analyses included 646 subjects with complete data., Results: After multivariate adjustment for age, sex, educational level, smoking, BMI, lipid-lowering medication use, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and for all relevant genetic polymorphisms (ApoE2, ApoE4, CFH Y402H, ARMS2 A69S, LIPC rs10468017, LIPC rs493258, LPL rs12678919, ABCA1 rs1883025 and CETP rs3764261), higher HDL was significantly associated with an increased risk of early (OR = 2.45, 95%CI: 1.54-3.90; P = 0.0002) and any AMD (OR = 2.29, 95%CI: 1.46-3.59; P = 0.0003). Association with late AMD was far from statistical significance (OR = 1.58, 95%CI: 0.48-5.17; p = 0.45). No associations were found for any stage of AMD with TC, LDL and TG levels, statin or fibrate drug use., Conclusions: This study suggests that elderly patients with high HDL concentration may be at increased risk for AMD and, further, that HDL dysfunction might be implicated in AMD pathogenesis.

Background: Several genes implicated in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) metabolism have been reported to be associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Furthermore, HDL transport the two carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, which are highly suspected to play a key-role in the protection against AMD. The objective is to confirm the associations of HDL-related loci with AMD and to assess their associations with plasma lutein and zeaxanthin concentrations., Methods: Alienor study is a prospective population-based study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in 963 elderly residents of Bordeaux, France. AMD was graded according to the international classification, from non-mydriatic colour retinal photographs. Plasma lutein and zeaxanthin were determined by normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The following polymorphisms were studied: rs493258 and rs10468017 (LIPC), rs3764261 (CETP), rs12678919 (LPL) and rs1883025 (ABCA1)., Results: After multivariate adjustment, the TT genotype of the LIPC rs493258 variant was significantly associated with a reduced risk for early and late AMD (OR=0.64, 95%CI: 0.41-0.99; p=0.049 and OR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.08-0.85; p=0.03, respectively), and with higher plasma zeaxanthin concentrations (p=0.03), while plasma lipids were not significantly different according to this SNP. Besides, the LPL variant was associated with early AMD (OR=0.67, 95%CI: 0.45-1.00; p=0.05) and both with plasma lipids and plasma lutein (p=0.047). Associations of LIPC rs10468017, CETP and ABCA1 polymorphisms with AMD did not reach statistical significance., Conclusion: These findings suggest that LIPC and LPL genes could both modify the risk for AMD and the metabolism of lutein and zeaxanthin.

High dietary intakes of n3 (ω3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and fish have been consistently associated with a decreased risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We assessed the associations of late AMD with plasma n3 PUFA, a nutritional biomarker of n3 PUFA status. The Antioxydants Lipides Essentiels Nutrition et Maladies Occulaires (Alienor) Study is a prospective, population-based study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in 963 residents of Bordeaux (France) aged ≥73 y. Participants had a first eye examination in 2006-2008 and were followed for 31 mo on average. Plasma fatty acids were measured by GC from fasting blood samples collected in 1999-2001. AMD was graded from non-mydriatic color retinal photographs at all examinations and spectral domain optical coherence tomography at follow-up. After adjustment for age, gender, smoking, education, physical activity, plasma HDL-cholesterol, plasma triglycerides, CFH Y402H, apoE4, and ARMS2 A69S polymorphisms, and follow-up time, high plasma total n3 PUFA was associated with a reduced risk for late AMD [OR = 0.62 for 1-SD increase (95% CI: 0.44-0.88); P = 0.008]. Associations were similar for plasma 18:3n3 [OR = 0.62 (95% CI: 0.43-0.88); P = 0.008] and n3 long-chain PUFA [OR = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.46-0.92); P = 0.01]. This study gives further support to the potential role of n3 PUFAs in the prevention of late AMD and highlights the necessity of randomized clinical trials to determine more accurately the value of n3 PUFAs as a means of reducing AMD incidence.

Purpose: To explore the association of AMD with long-term average blood pressure (BP) parameters, including pulse pressure (PP)., Methods: The ALIENOR study is a population-based study on age-related eye diseases in 963 residents of Bordeaux, France, aged 73 years or older. AMD was graded from nonmydriatic color retinal photographs, in three exclusive stages: no AMD (1015 eyes), large soft distinct drusen and/or large soft indistinct drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or pigmentary abnormalities (early AMD, 276 eyes), and late AMD (66 eyes). BP parameters were measured at four occasions over a 7-year period. PP was defined as systolic BP minus diastolic BP. Associations of AMD with BP parameters were estimated using generalized estimating equation logistic regressions. Statistical analyses included 702 subjects (1357 eyes) with complete data., Results: After adjustment for age, sex, educational level, smoking, body mass index, plasma HDL and LDL cholesterol, CFH Y402H, ApoE2, ApoE4, and ARMS2 A69S polymorphisms, elevated PP was significantly associated with an increased risk of late AMD (odds ratio [OR] = 1.37 for a 10-mm Hg increase, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.82). Associations were similar for late atrophic and late neovascular AMD (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.01-1.92, P = 0.04, and OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 0.90-2.23, P = 0.13, respectively). Association with early AMD was in the same direction but did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.98-1.28). Early and late AMD were not significantly associated with systolic or diastolic BP, hypertension, or use of antihypertensive medications., Conclusions: This study suggests that high PP may be associated with increased risk for AMD.

Purpose: To assess the associations of complement factor H (CFH) Y402H polymorphism and smoking with specific features of early AMD (type, location, and area)., Methods: The ALIENOR study is a population-based study of age-related eye diseases in 963 residents of Bordeaux (France), aged 73 years or more. AMD features were graded from nonmydriatic color retinal photographs. CFH Y402H was genotyped by using DNA extracted from blood. Statistical analyses included 796 subjects with complete data., Results: CFH CC genotype was strongly associated with late neovascular AMD (OR, 6.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5-23.5) but not with late atrophic AMD (OR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.2-4.3). Among early characteristics, it was associated with central soft drusen (within 500 μm of the fovea), whether of intermediate (63-125 μm; OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.5-4.8), or large (>125 μm; OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 2.2-15.7) size, but not with pericentral soft drusen (500-3000 μm from the fovea). It was also strongly associated with a large central area of soft drusen (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 1.7-19.2). Similarly, heavy smoking (>20 pack-years) was strongly associated with central large drusen (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.6-9.6) and a large central area of drusen (OR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.2-10.0), but not with pericentral soft drusen. By contrast, both CFH CC and smoking tended to be more strongly associated with pericentral pigmentary abnormalities., Conclusions: Location of abnormalities, together with type and area, may prove useful for the identification of subjects at high risk for late AMD.

Purpose: Previous studies have suggested a lower risk for age-related maculopathy (ARM) in subjects with high dietary intake of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The authors report the associations of ARM with past dietary intakes in French elderly subjects., Methods: The Alienor Study is a population-based epidemiologic study on nutrition and age-related eye diseases performed in residents of Bordeaux 73 years of age and older. Six hundred sixty-six subjects (1289 eyes) with complete data were included in the analyses. ARM was classified from retinal photographs taken in 2006 to 2008 in five exclusive stages: late neovascular ARM (n = 21 subjects, 29 eyes); late atrophic ARM (n = 19 subjects, 33 eyes); large soft indistinct drusen and/or reticular drusen and/or large distinct drusen with pigment abnormalities (early ARM2, n = 67 subjects, 100 eyes); large soft distinct drusen alone or pigment abnormalities alone (early ARM1, n = 119 subjects, 163 eyes); and no ARM (n = 440 subjects, 964 eyes). Dietary intakes were estimated from a 24-hour dietary recall performed by dieticians (2001-2002). Associations were estimated using logistic Generalized Estimating Equation., Results: After multivariate adjustment, subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA showed a decreased risk for early ARM1 (odds ratio [OR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.71-0.98; P = 0.03) and late neovascular ARM (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.08-0.83; P = 0.02). Associations with late atrophic ARM were in the same direction but did not reach statistical significance (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.52-1.06; P = 0.10). Overall, high intakes of long-chain omega-3 PUFA were associated with reduced risk for late ARM (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.39-0.88; P = 0.01)., Conclusions: These results confirm a decreased risk for ARM in subjects with high intake of long-chain omega-3 PUFA.