Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Is Differentially Associated with Early and Late Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the United States Population

Abstract

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has been the leading cause of irreversible blindness in industrialized countries. Emerging data suggest that serum vitamin D levels may be associated with AMD but show mixed results. National-level population data on the relationship between vitamin D and AMD severities are still lacking. Methods: We used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005 to 2008. Retinal photographs were taken and graded for AMD stage. The odds ratio (OR) of AMD and its subtype was calculated after adjusting for confounding factors. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) analyses were used to explore potential non-linear relations. Results: A total of 5041 participants with a mean age of 59.6 years were included. After adjusting for covariates, participants with higher level of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] had significantly greater odds of early AMD (OR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.08–2.51) and decreased risk of late AMD (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.09–0.88). When stratified by age, a positive association between the level of serum 25(OH)D and early AMD was present in the <60 years group (OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.08–7.29), whereas a negative relation between the level of serum 25(OH)D and late AMD was detected in the ≥60 years group (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.08–0.76). Conclusions: A higher level of serum 25(OH)D was related to increased risk of early AMD in those <60 years and decreased risk of late AMD in those ≥60 years.

Association between deficient levels of vitamin D and the occurrence of selected retinal diseases

“…In the most literature reviews, it can be observed that some authors of publications are of the opinion that low vitamin D levels may influence the frequency of disease occurrence. [5,6,8,12,25,35] However, a different study found that a higher concentration of vitamin D in the serum was linked to an increased likelihood of early AMD and a decreased likelihood of late AMD [24], while according to another article, a high level of vitamin D was associated with a lower likelihood of developing early AMD. [8] In different study, researchers concluded that the concentration level of vitamin D has no influence on the occurrence of AMD.…”

The Role of Vitamin D3 in Ocular Diseases

“…However, among individuals older than 60, it was linked to a reduced risk of late AMD. The same study suggests that maintaining serum 25(OH)D within certain levels may have benefits in reducing the risk of AMD for at-risk individuals [ 44 ]. There seems to be a tendency for late-stage AMD in humans whose serum vitamin D levels are below 50 nmol/L [ 45 ].…”