Researchers explored the risk factors for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in a study published in the February 2025 issue of Ophthalmology. The study utilized data from the Scottish Heart Health Extended Cohort (SHHEC) and included a systematic review of existing literature.
The SHHEC examined 18,107 people between 1984 and 1995, collecting data on various risk factors. They linked hospital records to the cohort data until 2017 and performed survival analysis to identify factors related to wet AMD. Their literature review, covering studies from 2000 to 2023, found 5,503 papers on the topic. After careful screening, they included 7 studies in the review.
In the SHHEC, there were 231 cases of wet AMD. The analysis revealed that older age significantly increased the risk of wet AMD, with a hazard ratio of 10.51. Smoking also raised the risk (HR 1.67). Conversely, higher intake of dietary vitamin K appeared to lower the risk of developing the condition (HR 0.56).
The broader review identified other potential risk factors, such as smoking, high body mass index, heavy alcohol consumption, and elevated blood measures like C-reactive protein and triglycerides. However, the evidence was mixed, and no firm conclusions could be drawn.
Overall, the study highlighted that aging and smoking are strong risk factors for wet AMD, while vitamin K may help reduce this risk.
Source: bmcophthalmol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12886-025-03868-5
