Dyslipidemia among patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the Department of Ophthalmology in a Tertiary Care Centre

Introduction: Dyslipidemia refers to abnormal levels of lipids in the bloodstream (total cholesterol ≥ 5.17 mmol/L, HDL<1.03 mmol/L, LDL ≥3.36 mmol/L and Triglyceride ≥1.69 mmol/L). Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of central vision loss in the elderly. The etiology of this disease is multifactorial and one of them is disturbance in lipid metabolism. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among patients with age-related macular degeneration. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Ophthalmology in a tertiary care center from 12 February 2019 to 31 January 2020 after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 35U (6-11) E2/075/16). Patients aged ≥50 years with a clinical diagnosis of age related macular degeneration were included in this study. Patients <50 years, undergoing treatment with lipid lowering agents and with diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy were excluded. A convenience sampling method was used. Data was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Point estimate and 90% Confidence Interval were calculated. Results: Among 65 cases of age-related macular degeneration, the prevalence of dyslipidemia was found to be 54 (83.10%) (76-90, at 90% Confidence Interval). Conclusions: The prevalence of dyslipidemia among the patient with age related macular degeneration was higher compared to study done in similar settings. So this study highlights the importance of routine serum lipid examination in all patients diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration.