Study of ethane level in exhaled breath in patients with age-related macular degeneration: preliminary study.

Purpose: A variety of factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), and oxidative stress plays an important role in the onset and progression of the disease. Breath ethane is now considered a specific and non-invasive test for determining and monitoring the trend of lipid peroxidation and free radical-induced damage in vivo. This test provides an index of the patients' overall oxidative stress level.