Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and AMD in Older Women

Project Summary

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss and blindness in persons 65 years of age and older in the developed world. The cause of AMD is not known; however, it is believed that a combination of genetic and environmental factors is responsible for the majority of cases. Therefore, studies involving genes relevant to eye tissues and function, and determining if their effects are modified by the presence of other AMD risk factors such as smoking. This may reveal important information regarding the cause of this important disease. Some of our preliminary research suggests that bone disease and AMD may have common risk factors. Therefore, genes relevant to bone disease and metabolism may be associated with AMD risk. Using data from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, the goals of our study are to determine whether variations in 15 genes related to bone metabolism and expressed in eye tissues are associated with incident AMD in women 75 years of age and older, and whether genetic effects may be modified by environmental risk factors for AMD such as smoking, nutritional factors, or reproductive hormone exposures.