Relating ocular vasculature to retinal function in AMD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
High fidelity imaging densitometry: exploring the relationship between visual pigment kinetics, choroidal vasculature and sub-retinal drusenoid deposits in age-related macular degeneration.
IRAS ID
303142
Contact name
Vera Filipa Mendes da Silva
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Cardiff University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 0 days
Research summary
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the UK. This disease mostly affects people over 60 years old and is characterised by the progressive worsening and, in advanced stages, even loss of central vision. As treatments are limited to specific advanced stages of the disease, this research will contribute with new understanding that can further our knowledge about the eyes of people with AMD and potentially help development of new treatments.
In AMD, structural changes occur at the back of the eye (i.e. retina) which include the deposition of waste material, known as drusen and reticular pseudodrusen. The blood vessels under the retina (i.e. choroid) that feeds the part of the eye responsible for detecting light also change. As well as the structural changes, there are also functional changes in AMD which are apparent early on, sometimes even before any changes can be seen at the back of the eye. This research will explore the relationships between both the structural changes (specifically looking at reticular pseudodrusen and the choroid) and the functional changes. For this, 60 participants with early and intermediate AMD will be identified by their care team and recruited from NHS and non-NHS sites. Multiple imaging techniques will be used across two visits at School of Optometry and Vision Sciences of Cardiff University. These techniques include Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA), which assesses choroid blood vessels, and a new technique called Imaging Retinal Densitometry, which provides topographical information about retinal function.
This research is being funded by the Macular Society in the form of a PhD studentship.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
22/WS/0055
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion