Profiling Cognitive Performance and Sleep Quality Measures in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Objective: This study aimed at profiling cognitive functions in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Method: This cross-sectional investigation enrolled 45 patients with AMD and 45 age- and sex-matched controls. The overall cognitive performance in AMD sufferer versus control subjects was asses using the Persian version of the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination battery (ACE-R). Subjects’ sleep quality was also evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). The mean global assessment and subscale scores were statistically compared between groups.Results: The mean global scores for ACE-R in AMD and control groups (80.4±12.3 and 86 ± 9.6, respectively) were found to be statistically different (p=0.018). On the other hand there was no significant difference (p=0.793) between the AMD and control groups in terms of PSQI scores (9.7±2.8 and 9.8±2.8, respectively). Conclusion: AMD patients seem to have cognitively underperformed in memory and verbal fluency domains compared to the control group. Evidence on cognitive impairments in patients with AMD may possibly herald neurocognitive insufficiencies and have common pathological mechanisms with dementias.