Refraction, axial length and age-related maculopathy.

Purpose: To study the relationship between age-related maculopathy (ARM)/age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and phakic refraction and between ARM/AMD and axial length.

Methods: The study was a point prevalence study that included 663 randomly selected persons aged over 65 years. We measured axial length and refraction. Fundus images were graded for ARM according to a modified Wisconsin Age-related Maculopathy Grading System standard. Data from both eyes were available from most participants. We analysed the results for both individual eyes and pairs.

Results: The mean axial length was 23.22 mm for right eyes and 23.21 mm for left eyes. Women had a 0.57-mm shorter mean axial length than men. The mean refraction was +1.0 dioptres (D) for right eyes and +0.9 D for left eyes. At 70 years of age women were more hypermetropic than men by 0.66 D. There was no significant difference in refraction or axial length among the groups with different ARM stages.

Conclusion: We found no statistically significant relationship between axial length/refraction and AMD/ARM. There was a statistically significant sex difference in axial length and refraction, where women had shorter axial lengths and were more hypermetropic than men.