Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the retina characterized by loss of central vision in old age. In particular, wet-type or exudative AMD, which is characterized by choroidal neovascularization, may cause severe loss of vision in these patients. AMD is the leading cause of central blindness among patients aged over 65 years in developed countries. The prevalence of AMD among individuals aged between 65 and 75 years is 10% and it is 25% among those aged 75 years and over. Patients with AMD may face difficulties in relation to many of the basic activities of daily living, such as writing, housework, self-care, driving and shopping. They may also suffer emotional distress and depression, and have a reduced quality of life (QoL). 1 Furthermore, loss of vision increases the risk of falling and fall-related injuries. 2 In all of its aspects, AMD is recognized as an important public health problem. Although the effects of exudative AMD (e-AMD) on quality of life, depression and physical and mental health have been studied more extensively in well-developed countries, data is relatively lacking from developing or underdeveloped countries. Moreover, differences in its effects may be seen between communities. Different social traits, belief sets and cultural characteristics in different communities may lead patients to be influenced psychologically in different manners from the same disease. The hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) was designed to measure the risks of anxiety and depression and their levels. The test includes two subscales: HADS-A, which assesses anxiety, and HADS-D, which assesses depression, both including seven items. The cutoff points for HADS-A and HADS-D are ten and seven, respectively. Higher scores indicate a greater likelihood

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The thickness of retinal layers in healthy smokers was similar to those of healthy individuals.

The purpose of this study was to review unilateral acute maculopathy associated with hand-foot-mouth disease with a representative case. Clinical course of a 24-year-old male case with unilateral acute idiopatic maculopathy documented by multimodal imaging is presented, and a review of similar cases is given. On initial examination, best-corrected visual acuity was 20/200 in the left eye. Fundoscopy revealed grayish-yellowish subretinal exudate, and fluorescein angiography demonstrated irregular mottled hyperfluorescence at the central macula. Spectral domain optical coherence tomography demonstrated disruption of ellipsoid layer, which partially resolved on follow-up examinations. Best-corrected visual acuity increased to 20/20 at 3 months, with persistent retinal changes, and mild disruption of ellipsoid layer and persistent mild metamorphopsia. Although hand-foot-mouth disease is usually benign and self-limited in childhood, it may be rarely associated with unilateral vision loss due to maculopathy, especially at early adulthood in both sexes. Vision loss associated with this eruption is acute and reversible in most cases, despite some residual pigmentary and scarring changes in all cases and persistent mild visual loss in some cases. Exact pathophysiology, the causes of variability of clinical features, adulthood onset, unilateral involvement, and role of multimodal imaging are issues which need to be clarified with further research.