Examination of Alzheimer Disease and Antidementia Medications’ Effect on Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To clarify the prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Alzheimer disease and assess whether antidementia medications modify this relationship. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was performed using electronic health record data (TriNetX) of adults aged 65 years and older with 10 or more years of ophthalmology follow-up. Patients with Alzheimer disease were compared with controls to estimate unadjusted and propensity score–adjusted prevalence odds ratios (ORs) for any AMD and progression to advanced AMD. Within the Alzheimer disease cohort, associations between duration of exposure to antidementia medication and AMD were evaluated. Results: AMD prevalence was higher in patients with Alzheimer disease (n = 4257) compared with controls (n = 140 378) before (prevalence OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.46-1.69), but not after adjustment (adjusted prevalence OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.92-1.15). Advanced AMD prevalence was comparable between cohorts, and no association was found between exposure to antidementia medication and AMD risk. Conclusions: fter adjustment for confounders, Alzheimer disease and antidementia medications were not associated with AMD development or progression.