English abstract
Objectives: We sought to evaluate the possible correlation between serum vitamin D
levels and exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: We conducted
a cross-sectional study including 95 patients with exudative AMD and 95 healthy ageand sex-matched controls. The participants' serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25(OH)D3)
levels were measured, and the results were classified into three categories: deficient (< 20.0
ng/mL), insufficient (20.1–29.9 ng/mL), and sufficient (>30.0 ng/mL). We compared
serum 25(OH)D3 levels between the two study groups and the AMD ratio between the
patients with deficient serum 25(OH)D3 levels and those with levels in the sufficient
and insufficient ranges. Results: The median 25(OH)D3 levels were significantly lower
in patients with AMD compared to the control subjects (p = 0.042). The frequencies
of patients with AMD among the vitamin D categories were statistically significant
(p = 0.043). Subgroup analysis showed that the frequency of patients with AMD and
deficient vitamin D levels was significantly higher than that found in the patients
who had sufficient and/or insufficient ranges of vitamin D levels (55.0% vs. 36.0%,
p = 0.043, respectively). Conclusions: Serum 25(OH)D3 levels may have an impact
on the neovascular type of AMD. As 25(OH)D3 levels decrease, the frequency of
AMD increases.
